Gingerbread House Anyone?

So this project has two parts. The first part began when Nanny and Papa came over to babysit. They brought a gingerbread house kit for the boys to build. Well, they put up the walls and added the roof with Nanny. Then they had to leave it to dry a bit. The next morning, they finished by adding all the "snow" and candy decorations. It took about an hour and they had a great time! It was really messy, but really fun...which is all that matters. We've had these kits in the past and started building them, but we have never completed one like this. I must say, I am very proud of the boys, despite the fact that they ate about half of the candy they were supposed to use. But that's the fun part, right?

Next came the task of shrinking the boys down so they were the size of the house. I used some household chemicals, a few laserbeams and some of that stuff out of those old Christmas lights that have the liquid in them and bubble. With a little mixing and some of Billy Joe's Elf Magic...POOF...two tiny boys appeard! I scooped 'em up and put them on their tasty creation! The results can be seen in the picture! Actually...this is a result of my 2nd bout with Photoshop. Not too bad I don't think. I hope their mommy doesn't notice I shrunk 'em! I guess I can always blame it on the d#$@ elf!

Who doesn't love a laughin' baby?!

I don't know if it was the sounds I was making or simply the mood Lanie was in, but whatever it was, Lanie was absolutely cracking up...which is pretty rare for her. She's a happy little girl full of smiles, but it a pretty rare occasion that she laughs like this, so I thought I would share it. See if you can watch it without smiling...

Oh yes, Billy Joe Mistletoe is back!

It's that time of year again when the decorations come out of the attic, the Nativity Scene is proudly displayed by the front door for our visitors to see, the tree burdened with tons of ornaments and lights, the mantle filled with lots of little Santas...and of course, the arrival of the ELF (or troll if you look carefully)! Our elf's name is Billy Joe Mistletoe and he hails from the Isle of Green-Ireland of course! Where else do elves come from? The North Pole, you say? Yeah, typically, but last year our boys were late in their request to Santa for an elf and unfortunatley all the North Pole Elves were spoken-for, happily causing mischief in homes around the world. So Santa, in all his glory and with his desire to leave no child disappointed, sent us one of his "Special" elves from Ireland...Billy Joe Mistletoe! Well, he was so happy with us last year that Santa honored Turner and Clay's request and sent Billy Joe back for another season of wild elf trickery and fun at our house! He arrived sitting in the kitchen up on top of the cabinets as you can see in the picture...but he brought a good educational message this year-READ! I am not sure what that's all about but I guess only time will tell. The boys are ecstatic to say the least about his arrival. I honestly think the like the Elf more than Santa! Well, they sure do talk about him more, anyway. As I type this, Billy Joe is snug in is his comfy make-shift "elf bed" in the boys' bedroom. Wonder what tricks ol'Billy Joe has up his green sleeves this year? Or should I say in his wild green hair?

Video test

At the school gym...Lanie saying 'da da' and rolling around the gym in her walker. I am testing out video from my phone and seeing if it goes right to the blog.

Like Father, Like Sons

The Mullet and Red Hat from who knows where have become staple items around our house and they never fail to produce smiles...or looks of lust and envy. That depends on who wears them and where! Clay dressed up as a farmer for his class play and so the mullet and hat came out. Don't worry, he didn't wear the mullet in his play. However, he does look good in it. But I think Turner wins the prize. Turner happens to be ALMOST as photogenic in the get-up as his old man. But he isn't quite big enough to fill out the "Wayne" shirt and original acid washed jeans just yet. He does share a little resemblance to Ruby Sue, though, don't you think? You know, Cousin Eddie's little girl? Anyway, enuff of this writin, I am off to find the keys to my smokin hot Z-28 Camaro so I can head out and race my slot cars.

Water Is Drugs & Daddy Smokes Crack

Last week was Red Ribbon week in our schools... drug awareness week. Red Ribbon week always leads to lively conversation around our house. Clay and I had this conversation a few nights ago:

"Mommy, did you know that water is drugs?"
Uh, no. Why do you think that?
"Because some bigger kids did a play at school this week and they said water is drugs."
(He says this in his best 'duh, Mom!' tone, like he is about to share something that I obviously have NO clue about)
Hmmmm, do you think maybe you are a little bit confused? Why don't you tell me exactly what they said...
"Well, they did this play and one girl asked the other girl 'Have you been drinking?' and she said 'Yeah, I've been drinking' and drinking is drugs and drugs are bad"
Which, in Clay's 6 year old logic, means that drinking ANYTHING, including water, is bad... all of this brings him to the conclusion that water is drugs.

After a few laughs I explained the difference between drinking water/kool aid/juice vs. boozin' it up. This conversation reminded me of Red Ribbon Week when Turner was in Kindergarten and the memorable afternoon it led too. Here is a photo of Turner & Clay on T-Mans first day of big school:

So, picture these two out to lunch with their Grandmama & Grandaddy on a nice Saturday afternoon. Somehow smoking was brought up in the adult conversation... and since it was Red Ribbon week, drugs are on Turner's mind.

Turner chimes in... "My Daddy does drugs!"
Of course he says this nice and loud and clear so all the folks at surrounding tables can hear ;)
Grandmama: "Turner, your Daddy does not do drugs!"
Both boys: "Yuh huh, he does, he smokes!"
Turner: "That's right Grandmama, he does, Daddy smokes crack." (Again, nice and loud for everyone to hear, so glad I wasn't there!)
Grandmama: "What on earth would give you that idea??? Your Daddy does not smoke crack or anything else!"
Turner: "Mommy says he does"

Oiy! I *may* have had a habit of mumbling under my breath that "Daddy must be smokin' crack" when I thought he was doing something ridiculous/crazy/or that I just didn't agree with. And it's situations like these that remind me that little ears are ALWAYS listening.

But, like I said, it did make for some lively conversation and funny memories!

Four Boys & A Baby

We had a great time trick or treating last night. Two buddies from the neighborhood joined us, Sam & Jackson, and we stayed out until the kids were begging to come home because they were TIRED of walking! Turner was a scary ghoul, Clay was, well... a spider outfit with a Frankenstein mask = Frankenspider, and Lanie was a 'tutu' bunny. Sam sported a skeleton costume and Jackson was a LaCrosse player (a John Carroll LaCrosse player to be specific!). Lanie wasn't quite sure about all the scary boys running around. Even more confusing to her, I'm sure, was that Daddy wore his famous headless man costume. A headless man wandering through the neighborhood carrying a baby in a tutu isn't a common sight and it got a lot of laughs! I went as a tired Mommy... a perfect fit! At least I did wear a Halloween shirt! The boys ended their night back here sorting & trading candy and enjoying another campfire with their Dads. Tutu bunny was pooped and after a quick bath she went right to sleep, although she was trooper who didn't fuss at all even though it was a late night.

A night around the backyard campfire!

After a few weeks of collecting sticks and cleaning out flower beds in the yard for the fall that is upon us, we decided to burn our first fire of the season. I debated on whether or not to watch Alabama whip Tennessee on the new big screen I built the basement or light the fire...and because the kids were insistent on a fire and because I have been promising them for weeks now that we would have a fire, I chose to light it up. Now we are enjoying some heat, marshmallows and stick-burning fun on a cool fall night in the backyard! The neighbor kids are even hanging out and partaking in the fun! Although I know there's a good game on I could be watching in HD on the big screen, I think sitting by the fire with the kids definitely wins out. I just hope no one gets burned 'cause then mommy will put the kibosh on the fires!

Lanie's first Bucs football game

Lanie is sporting her first Bucs apparel and is really enjoying her first football game. It's the last of the Bucs regular season so we decided to come out as a family and enjoy the game. The weather is bit cool, but perfect for a night of football!

Chubby Babies

I wanted to share this picture of Lanie... I know she'll hate me for it later, but for now it's my current favorite photo. If you think she's a chub chub just check out the picture of Clay below, he was the pillsbury dough baby. Turner was also plump, but his baby days were pre digital cameras at our house so I don't have photo handy to share.

Lanie is changing and growing so quickly. She's trying to pull up and crawl and has mastered 'mama'. It is nice to hear my name first this time since the boys both started with 'dada'. She's a busy little thing who would prefer to not slow down *ever* and naptimes are a battle. Once we get her to sleep, she is a light sleeper, which is not a good fit for a house with pets and wild boys running around! Now I realize what good sleepers Turner & Clay have been when I compare them with her and I'm thankful for how easy they were!

As for the boys... well, school is going great this year. They both have awesome teachers. Turner now knows how to do more on the computer than I do, which freaks me out a little! He has taken up piano and loves it. He's always been musical but this is our first venture into formal lessons. He has learned to read music, which is something Jeff & I can't do, so we're impressed!

Clay started his first season of flag football this fall and thinks he is big stuff now. I had no idea how complicated football can be... I may need a 'football for dummies' course if he decides this is his sport, but he seems to be learning pretty quickly how the game works. And even at 6 & 7 years old football is serious business around these parts.

Saturday fun at the Richardson home

This is something fun to do with those boxes you get from Costco. Believe it or not, it was their MOMMY'S suggestion they use the boxes to slide down the stairs. You should have seen it when they went down on a plastic sled a few years back! Talk about something that you shouldn't try at home?! Think even Steve-O would have been proud...but we didn't manage to get that one video. And yes, Clay was just fine. In fact, he is pretty proud of his tumble.

What's different?

Boy what a difference 6 months makes. Both of these pictures were taken while in the camper of Clay and Lanie sitting on the couch. See if you spot the differences. Here are the ones I have discovered so far. Lanie is only 10 days old in one. She is pretty floppy in one and and much stronger and not-so floppy in the other. In one, she has enough hair to wear a bow. Clay is wearing a shirt in one. The couch is wearing a quilt in one. One is at Tannehill and the other is at Logan's Landing. She cried much less and slept WAY more on one of those outings. Guess which one? Let's just say we probably won't be taking the camper back out for a good while! But probably the most noticeable difference is in the quality of the pictures. One was taken with a little point-and-shoot Nikon that we have had and used FOREVER. You know, the first and only digital camera we ever bought that worked just fine...until! The other was taken with our much nicer, newer Canon D-SLR, which we were FORCED to purchase a few weeks after Lanie arrived. The Nikon just didn't cut it anymore when it came to taking pictures of Lanie...oops, I meant to say our family. We needed something that would snap 3 shots/sec and zoom quickly 'cause everyone knows little babies are extremely active and an SLR is a must, right? We were just so amazed that we actually had a little girl (and sometimes now we just stare at her and comment that we STILL can't believe we have a girl) and had so much fun taking her picture...even when she did nothing but lay there like a baby, that we sprang for the better camera. And that's one purchase we haven't regretted! I guess it is true that little girls have a different effect on mommies and daddies. Don't get me wrong now...Turner and Clay were both beautiful babies, are becoming handsome, wonderful boys and will always be special blessings in their own ways...but there is just something about being a daddy and having that cute little girl. Heck, I probably take more pictures of her than Meghan does! I guess Turner and Clay will look back one day and wonder why we didn't spring for the better camera when they were born. But I think they already understand 'cause from the ga-ga smiles they give when they see her bouncing in the doorway jumper to the quick "stop-and-kiss-Lanie-on-the-forehead" moves while talking to her in their best baby voices while running through the den, we know they think little "Wanie Bug" is a pretty awesome addition to family. But they will quickly tell you they do get tired of us making them pose for so many pictures now that we have the new camera! Did I mention I just got a new Flip Video Camera? I wonder who will get the most face time on that...
I will try and get a video up from it soon!

The drive home from camping...

So the camping trip was great with lots of adventures and fun, even if the jetski only ran for 2 hours. We had our fun and also got more 'water time' despite the jetski breakdown on uncle Stanley's pontoon with Grandmama and Grandaddy. But it didn't end when we pulled out of the campground on Monday. Meghan, Clay and Lanie left before Turner (my truck driving partner) and I so they were a few minutes ahead of us. Turner and I were cruising down 280 with a little wobble happening from the truck, but not enough to make me worry. After all, the truck is pretty rough and never has been all that smooth of a ride and was missing the tire tools when I bought it...but what do you expect for 2700.00 from the auction!? I always cruise along, pulling our 10K camper and see OTHER trucks/campers pulled over with blown tires and wonder when my time would come. Well, it came and it could not have been better! Here's why. While truckin' along @ about 55 mph, the right rear truck tire EXPLODED! Not just a little deflation! This was a full-on exlposion! Turner asked if the truck was on fire 'cause it was so dang loud. No worries....we were in the right lane and I eased us off the hwy pretty quickly and safely. I got out squimishly wondering what I was about to see and my fears were quickly made real. I was prepared for a flat on the camper but lacked the one wrench I needed to change the truck tire. I know...what a dummy! Well, here's where the perfect timing part comes in. I know one mechanic...Johnny. I called his brother Brian to ask him a question to ask Johnny. Well, they were enjoying Labor Day at their mom's house, who by the way delivered both our boys, and happens to live about 5 mins from where I blew the tire! They hopped in the car without hesitation, brought an impact wrench (which was a must because I don't think these lugs had been off in years and may not have come off with just a lug wrench, even if it was the right size) and helped me change the tire. They even ran to the parts store to fetch a deep socket which was what I was missing. Meghan came back and got Turner so he wouldn't have to wait. But Johnny's wrench and their kindness helped me get back on the road in less than an hour! What luck! But don't worry, I did most of the work and know how to change a tire. I just didn't have what I needed to do it. I knew my time would come, was gambling and I just got lucky. You better believe I learned my lesson and now have what I need to change my tire WHEN it happens again. But hopefully the 150.00 tire I went and immediately bought to replace the busted one will last a while. Its always something with the Richardsons! Heck, just this week the water heater in our condo in FL busted and leaked into the unit below!
When it rains it pours...literally! But that's another post.

Campin at the lake

We are at Logan's Landing campground enjoying the long weekend in the camper. We have an added bonus this weekend with our aunt's seadoo! She was generous enough to let us bring it along for the weekend. Turner and Clay have never been on one and it has been years since I have ridden one. So we having a blast on this...our maiden voyage! And to boot, its Mardi Gras in August @ Logan's Landing so there are lots of activities going on at the campground this weekend. I am sure there will be more posts to follow...

Yes, we made it!

To the fireworks! A good end to a good night!

Elvis sighting?!

And you thought Elvis died on the toilet? At least that's what my kids think. Well guess again! He's alive and kickin' it at the Barons game...complete with rhinestone and the cape!

Take me out to the ball game!

Okay, so me and the boys, along with Sam and Ben, came out to Scout Night at the Barons last regular season game of the year. As you can from the picture, Turner even wore his dress Scout shirt. We began the night with stop at one of my favorite places to eat...Zaxby's. I am a pretty predictible eater...just ask Meghan. If it's fried, I eat it. No pickles or mushrooms for me...but deep fry 'em and I am game. So after getting our fill of greasy chicken and fries we headed to the Met. There aren't a lot of Scouts here but I must say it is a great night for a baseball game...and blogging. There is a great breeze blowing and the temp is just right. It's a nice break from the heat! The kids are having fun...but I think I heard the best quote from Sam after about 5 mins into the game. He said 'is this the game? Cause if it is, it sure is boring!' It might be a long game cause they want to stay and watch the fireworks. We'll see if they (or me) can last that long without irritating everyone sitting around us. I must say baseball isn't all that exciting to me either...hence the reason I am sitting here blogging and hoping a foul ball doesn't catch me off guard. This is 3rd baseball game we have come to since Turner has been alive. Is that bad? Do most kids go to more games before they are 8? So as you can probably tell we aren't biggest baseball fans...but every kid needs to check out a few baseball games, right? And there isn't anything much prettier than a freshly manicured baseball diamond. So do these guys use wooden bats or aluminum? I wonder if this guy in front of me put turtle wax on his bald head 'cause it sure is shiny. Okay...back to the game.

Clay Turns 6

Clay turned 6 years old yesterday and he celebrated with a party at the roller skating rink. We enjoyed hanging out with old friends and meeting some news ones from his class. We made it through the whole party with only one injury... a busted lip! Not too bad considering there were quite a few little ones (and grown ups) who got out there on the skates. One of Clay's favorite gifts was his real bow & arrow... after his friend Patrick got one a few weeks ago it's all he could talk about. We have already been outside practicing our target shooting into a big cardboard box and I have to say it's actually really fun.

SCHOOL!!!!!

School started back on August 7th, here is a pic of the amount of school supplies required to get two boys off to class. I am considering buying stock in both Elmer's glue & Crayola. I made the boys come in from playing to take a picture of them with all of their '08-'09 school gear, as you can see they were less than enthusiastic about this photo session! The first two days of school have been uneventful. Turner was quick to report that he has a new girl in his class who is either from "China or Utah and she only knows 4 words in English: brother, sister, fish and rock". This led to a long conversation on the way home with our carpool group about which one was the foreign country and ultimately the kids decided that she must be from the foreign country of Utah. Being that daddy is a world history teacher and all, perhaps we need to do a quick refresher course on geography with the kids! I hear all kinds of entertaining things on the way home in the afternoons!

Lanie at 4 Months...

Just a quick new pic of Lanie Elizabeth... This was taken at cousin Traci's wedding a few weeks ago. How cute is she!!?? She's four months old now and changing everyday. At her doctors appt yesterday she weighed in at 17lb (which is still smaller than Turner or Clay at this age). She's rolling over and starting to babble and eat baby food. This week she learned the fun game of sitting in her high chair and dropping the same toy over and over again to see how fast a big brother would retrieve it... I think she already has them trained. Clay got frustrated after about the tenth time "Man, how many times is she gonna do this?" and I had to laugh thinking this was justice for all the times we played that game with the boys when they were babies. The age gap between the kids has turned out to be wonderful so far, the boys are a huge help with Lanie and she finds them very entertaining. Believe it or not, life moves at a more relaxing pace with 3 kids this age than it did when we had a toddler and a baby to keep up with. Everybody is starting to gear up for school to start and all the activities that fall brings... only three more weeks of summer. Time flies...

Turner doing his first dive!

After spending the summer at the pool and watching kids dive in the water, Turner has finally taken the challenge to learn how to dive himself. And after only a few days of trying, I think he's finally got it! He's very proud and I am too! Now he is on to bigger things...like running and diving!

And we are home!

We survived the fierce watergun fight aboard the Pirate Cruise (which is a must if you have kids and visit Panama City), 2 weeks in the camper, seeing deer and dolphin, some amazing sunsets, 3 days of consistent rain and quite a migration of jellyfish, one severe pinch by a store-bought hermit crab...and now we are home! Vacation was GREAT but it is nice to be home. We left a day early (Friday) in hopes of beating the Saturday mass exodus from the Gulf of and it paid off. There was virtually no traffic on any of the roads that we traveled on. That may not sound like a big deal, but Turner and I were in my truck pulling our big camper while Meghan, Clay and Lanie were following in her car. Well, Lanie decided to test her lungs and make sure her tear ducts were working for about 95% of the ride home and pulling a camper carries its own stresses. So if that would have taken place during that awful Saturday traffic, I am afraid someone might have gotten hurt! But we made it home and actually got the camper unloaded before dark! That's quite a feat considering it took me about 3 days to get it loaded. Now, after doing 7 loads of laundry and getting everything put in its place, I think we are ready to enjoy what's left of the summer before school supplies and undesirable early bedtimes become the focus around our house. So now it is off to the pool to enjoy some swimming where we don't have to shower just to get the sand off!

Beach Pic...

We tried to get a few good shots of everybody on the beach... out of about 250 photos we ended up with 5 or 6 good ones! It's hard to get all three kids to cooperate at the same time! Here's one of the better ones... we did get several 'action shots' with Lanie in mid spit up which I'll spare you ;) When I figure out how to do one of the slide shows I'll add a few more.

Clay skimmin!

Finally a day of sunshine!

Brotherly love!

After 3 days of dreary rain, gray skies, a treasure hunt that culminated in the finding of a new raft (the one in the picture) and movies in the camper, the sun has finally shown itself and we have gotten to spend the afternoon on the beach (well, the boys and I have...while Meghan and Lanie are out enjoying shopping with no real time constraints). But not before we paddled a few miles in the kayak this morning. I ferried the kids around the bay and they had fun looking for fish and crabs while I got a little exercise. We have a few more days of our vacation left and I hope the weather stays nice for us. It has been a great time so far and we have enjoyed time together as a family and with friends. The Rigsbys are camped next to us now...and the Harts were there last week. I must say that having a career which allows me the time to spend a couple of weeks on vacation with my family is truly a blessing. I wouldn't know what to if I had to live for 2 weeks of vacation per year. I guess we need to enjoy it while we can. More pics to come...

Lanie's new sounds...

Now she's making some great noises...so just listen.

Lanie on the beach

Only in a campground...

Okay...so we (all 9 of us) were riding bikes last night and this truck came cruising by with this big statue strapped on the tailgate. I had a quick flashback to the Kiss statues in Dazed and Confused that ride in the back of one of their trucks as they all cruised to the 'party at the moontower.' However, this statue wasn't Gene Simmons or Paul Stanley. Even with full make-up and tongue sticking out, those two don't hold a candle to this most unique creation I have ever seen carved out of wood or any other carving medium! It is a life size carving of a Polynesian warrior in a loin cloth standing on a body of a man missing a head...which is in the warrior's hand. And strapped to his belt is another head of another unfortunate Western explorer that must have crossed paths with this ticked off dude. Turner saw it and said...'wow, that's pretty... (long pause and confusion on his face turning to disgust) GROSS! I must say it is pretty strange but hard NOT to stop and stare at, hence the reason they brought camping with them. Now, the proud owners have it posted at the entrance to their site, complete with some decorations like some sunglasses, a coke in his hand and a chair for you to sit in if you want to have your photo taken with the proud warrior. And just think, some folks think campgrounds are boring! I asked the owners about it and the told me it is 20 years old and was purchased in Polynesia many years ago. Was it really? Who knows? But Wow...I am gonna keep my eyes peeled for something similar to put at our campsite next year. If nothing else, it makes for some great conversation and one of memories that will forever distinguish this trip from the others. Well, this being the first beach camping trip for Lanie MAY be the way we remember this one...but the statue will be part of it too!

Much anticipated vacation!

After 4 days of packing, a few trips to walmart and answering the question of 'when do we leave again, daddy?' at least 30 times, we are finally here at St. Andrew's State Park in Panama City, Florida. The pictures are of the camper and the view from our site on the bay. Turner and I drove in the truck and pulled the camper while Clay, Lanie and Meghan rode in the 'nice car.' Turner really enjoyed the ride because it was his first time to ride any significant distance in the front seat...since my lovely truck dates back to the days before airbags. He really enjoyed it and loved the unobstructed view! It took a while to get set up, but we are camping next to friends with kids so the boys stayed busy playing in the water and catching critters with their new friends while mom and I set everything up. Some people would call it a chore but I really enjoy camping and the whole setup part. This time I got creative and even built an outdoor shower so we don't have to use the camper bath or go to the sometimes dirty bathhouse! I will get a picture of that up soon as I know you are dying to see it! Meghan did a great job inside decorating...we even brought our houseplants! It gives it a nice homey touch...and they would dead if we didn't bring 'em. We are set up right on the bay and having a great time. Lanie got to bring her swing and bouncy seat so she's doing pretty well with camping. We also brought a big screen house we set up right next to the water, so we have been hanging around in there with Lanie so we don't have worry about bugs. Its pretty hot, but with a fan out there it's pretty comfortable. My neighbor asked if we brought the kitchen sink. But that's the beauty of having a big camper! I made sure to bring anything I thought we may need. And so far, we have had everything we need, which is nice. From a toaster to an icecream maker, we are set. Now I need to go see what the kids have in their buckets. More to come...

Snakes, Tadpoles and Icecream

The boys took an excursion to Moss Rock (the boys now call it snake rock...which will be explained in a sec) to scramble on the rocks and check out the waterfall. It's really a beautiful spot and only about 5 miles from our house. Well, the creek was almost dry but we did find some small pools full of life...tons o tadapoles (as Clay calls them) and mudpuppies. We caught a few tadapoles to take home to our pond and also saw two snakes! That was pretty exciting for all of us...and after seeing the second snake we decided it was time to head back to the car. Next stop...Ben & Jerry's for 2 much needed milkshakes! Yummy! Now we are all cool and just having fun talking about the snakes.

A Great Father's Day!

So did we have a good father's day around the Richardson house? You bet! I got to sleep in a little bit, which was nice...and then the father's day festivities began. Well, there weren't really any festivities, but I did get some really great hugs and cool gifts. It started in my bed as I awoke to 2 very excited boys carrying crinkling plastic bags and telling me "happy father's day." Each carried a Walmart bag stuffed with the wads of paper, at least 20 of 'em, that they had used to "wrap" the presents. What was hiding in the bags? Well, Clay had me open his first and I found a neat little yellow airplane that he picked out for me. Of course he told me what was in it before I even got all the paper out. He isn't much on keeping secrets. He also gave me one of his finer pieces of art. It's a pencil/paper creation complete with the Krusty Krab and a few Spongebob characters. I was told I could frame it. Next came Turner's bag with a similar wrapping style, except this time the bag was tied in "triple pretzel knots," which I was promptly asked if I knew how to untie by the tie-er. Well, it wasn't easy, but after some tedious finger work and good laughs, I discovered Turner's contained a big ol' bag of peanut M&M's (my favorite) and an IPod speaker so I can listen to my IPod without headphones. Very cool stuff! But that's not all! Then the boys lugged in a really cool camping chair that I have been wanting ever since our neighbors got one. It's one that reclines way back and will provide a place for many a afternoon naps under the shade of the camper awning. We leave in just a few days for our much anticipated annual beach camping trip, so I know it will be put to good use. And then the really big smile came when I saw Lanie wearing her cute pink onesie sporting "Daddy's Girl" across the front. I can only hope she lives up to what it says! I really do want her to be a daddy's girl...since we already have two momma's boys.

Wow...what a great mommy and kids who obviously love their daddy very much! And I don't just say that because of the great gifts they gave me, but because everyday I see their faces and realize how blessed I really am to have such great, healthy kids and a beautiful, caring wife. I know I take things for granted way to often, but I think that's what days like this are for...to help us stop and take some time to remember what really is important. Now I just need to live up to my end of the deal and try each day to become a better dad.

Don't worry, the 60's & 70's are alive and well...

Five T-Shirts From Craft Store: Ten Dollars

Tie Dye Kit: Seven Dollars

Looks you get when you go out in matching tie dye gear in 2008: Priceless

Ratty old Grateful Dead T-shirts, check. Framed 'collectible' Jerry Garcia stamps from Tanzania, check. Long haired hubby, check. Hacky sack, check. Assortment of VW collectibles to keep your VW enthusiasm alive because your wife made you sell your VW camper van many years ago, check. Granola in the pantry, got it. Are we a bunch of hippie wannabes around here? I guess so... In keeping with that theme I decided to spend a day teaching the boys how to tie dye, which actually turned out to be a lot of fun. The boys are SO proud of their creations that I suspect we'll be doing this again sometime soon!

Our first official trip of the summer

We got to enjoy a very relaxing few days at the beach with Jeff's family last week. Here are Turner & Clay with their cousins Savannah, Bailey & Erin. The kids have a great time playing together and their favorite thing was our trip to "The Track" to ride go carts and bumper boats. My favorite thing was having so many people who wanted to hold and entertain Lanie, it was nice having a break and just a lot of fun to be there!

That D#&% Cat!!! (And Dog)

There is a battle of wills going on in our home between the people & the critters. Granted, life has not been the best for Gizmo & Thomas since Lanie's arrival. As you can see, Thomas is a magnet for all things baby. His new favorite napping spots are the bouncy seat, Lanie's carseat & pink rocking chair... which would be fine if he didn't leave cat hair behind. Bleh. Our efforts to keep him out of the house are constantly thwarted by two little boys who can't resist his pitiful meows at the door. Either way, the adults around here are not having warm fuzzy feeling towards the family cat right now.
Fortunately for Gizmo, he is still loved by all except for Mom, because of his habit of barking just when I've spent thirty minutes trying to get the baby off to sleep and waking her up. Or for doing things like waiting until Lanie & I are able to snuggle up for a much needed nap to bring various squeaky toys to the foot of the bed to see if perhaps I might be in the mood for some playtime instead. I'm not. At that point I am only in the mood for acts of animal cruelty. Don't be deceived by their cute appearance, they are not happy about having a baby around and have found some creative ways to let us know ;)

Picture Day...

We had Lanie's picture made today... fortunately after a couple of tries at having her pictures done, she was happy for us this time. The basket pic is a shot from last week, as you can see she wasn't in the mood for photos that day! We can't believe she is already two months old, time flies!

Cycling in Yellowstone?

Well, I wish...but not quite. These two lovely beasts live along a road I ride on a lot so I thought I would take a picture 'cause no one believes me when I tell them I see buffalo all the time. There's a zebra too, but I will save that picture for another post. And yet another great start to my day...saw the sunrise, which was amazing, pedaled about 24 miles, felt very much alive...and didn't even disturb my family. In fact, I will be home before the boys need to get up for school. Now if I can just make a habit of this! Enjoy your day!

An End to an AMAZING WEEKEND!

This weekend, I got to watch months of preparation, prayer and work come together in an amazing way at the Vacca Youth Detention Center in Birmingham for a weekend known as an Epiphany. I, along with about 40 dedicated folks spent the weekend at this facility with 25 incarcerated young men ("stars" as we call them) just to show them how much God loves them and that they are His special creations. For three awesome days, we fed them well, sang lots of great songs, shared some very personal stories with them, gave them a birthday party and did a few other really neat things all with the hopes that they would get a glimpse of just how much God loves them...all unconditionally...no strings attached! It was amazing to witness the smiles on their faces and to see a change occur in some of them over the 3 days. We had an awesome team of folks who rallied around the stars and one another with kindness, prayer and genuine Christian Love to make a difference for these 25 young men. I know God's Spirit was present and there is no doubt in my mind that seeds of hope and love were planted. When and just how they will grow is yet to be seen, but God has a plan for each of them and I hope they are now a little closer to understanding what that truly means. We will be returning every other Thursday for the next several months to "follow-up" with the guys and encourage each of them to continue to seek God in their lives and we will do so until the next Epiphany weekend occurs in the fall. This weekend wouldn't have happened without the hundreds of people who stood in and prayed around the clock for a 72 hour prayer vigil that took place during the weekend. Wow...prayer is a powerful thing and it's what makes a ministry like Epiphany possible! I am pretty tired and looking forward to a good night's sleep...but I will have a smile on my face and a joy in my heart for days to come as I reflect on some of the amazing displays of Love and Kindness I witnessed this weekend. God is so good...I am once again reminded. And boy have I been Blessed!

Poor Kid...

I can't help it, it's just so much fun dressing a little girl. I only made her wear the bonnet for a quick photo, I promise! Lanie'bug', as we all now call her, is already a month old. At her doctor visit yesterday she's weighing in at 12lb 7oz, which means she's well on her way to becoming another chubby Richardson baby. Now that I'm starting to emerge from the new baby 'brain fog' hopefully I'll get around to adding my own updates here more often, thanks for checking in on us! ~Meghan

And that's why...

I will get up @ 5am to ride my bike. What an amazing sunrise today. This is looking back towards Helena from the south end of Shades Crest Rd.

Playin' in the Mud!

Boy do we love our house and our little creeks. With the rain this past week, Clay, Turner and Sam decided to test their dam-building skills. Material of choice? Mud of course!!! Well, it worked and now the water is backed up all over the lower part of the yard! Oh the fun they have in the mud.

Clay said, "Daddy, did you ever get muddy like this when you were a kid?"

"Oh yeah, there were many days I got hosed down in the driveway with ice-cold water in nothin' but my undies!" He thought that was just great...and then he got hosed down in his undies! I decided not to post that picture.