A Lovely Summer Evening

In the works

What is happening over here:

(in other words, why my mind is too fuzzy for proper blogging)

Broken dishwasher. New dishwasher.

Broken Windstar. New Versa. (Thanks, CARS)

Broken AC. Fixed AC (Thanks warranty!)

We have two exchange students from China for one week.

Aloha Snow opened on Thursday and we made a visit. Now the kids ask daily if we can visit again.

And lastly, and most exciting - my parents moved here! They moved in to their new house last weekend and have been busy busy busy settling in.

Coming up, more detailed posts about the students and a very special post about cicada killers.

Smart AND Coordinated

Oliver took his first steps in Spokane and has been so proud and excited to try out all his different ways of walking. I just think he is downright adorable in this video as he manuevers around (does that sound like bragging? 'cause it was!).

Hooked for life

I can pretty much bet that my Saturday evening walked all over yours.


My sister-in-law Audra (with my brother Levi) is fulfilling her dream of opening up a hip "sno-ball" shop. So last night we were invited to a tasting party, where I tried at least 10 different flavors poured over fluffy, finely shaved ice. I also sampled a "stuffed sno ball" (or two, or three) and I am already thinking about the next time I can get ahold of one.

Gabe had three cups full and was begging for more.


Colin cried when we told him he was officially DONE.


The biggest fan of the night though, was baby Oliver, who dropped all seperation anxiety to beg a bite from everyone in sight. He had a sample (or two, or three) from at least six or seven different people last night. He was climbing up his grandpa for more. Absolutely shameless.

You can get yours starting sometime this week at Aloha Snow. Keep checking the website for an opening date and more information!

Home

Saying goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa Coleman in Spokane

We arrived back in Charlotte Wednesday morning.

Recovering from a red eye with three kids, plus jet lag? I think that takes at least two days.

Getting back into the swing of things after two weeks of relaxation, good food, and lots of helping hands? I will let you know how long that takes. It hasn't happened yet.

There is a lot going on here, so more blog posts should soon follow....when that whole "getting back into the swing of things" thing happens.

Our own food network experience

Do you watch Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (or Triple D, as Guy likes to call it)?

We do - so we were pretty pumped when Chad's brother Bill let us know a few months ago that he saw an episode featuring a restaurant in Charlotte. We knew we had to make a pilgrimage to the holy ground on which Mr. Fieri trod. The Saturday before Father's Day was the perfect occasion for such a trip. We headed downtown to visit....

....what was truly a "dive"....

Penguin Drive-In (which actually isn't a drive-in)

Finding parking on a Saturday in this somewhat seedy neighborhood was our first challenge. The next challenge is getting a seat. The seating area is not large at all. As soon as you open the door, the hostess ushers you in, asking you to shut the door quickly. There is no foyer or waiting area so you smash yourself up against the wall with the thirty or so other people who are waiting ahead of you. After we put our name on the list, I took the already restless kids and sat in the car while Chad waited inside. It was amazing to sit out there, watch more and more people pile in, and wonder where everyone is waiting. By the time we got a seat, there were thick lines of people inside along one wall and between the bar and tables.

We were excited to order our food to see if it was"out of bounds" or "off the hook." Everything on the menu was very reasonably priced (so reasonably priced, in fact, that Chad was a little ticked off - why not raise your prices a little if you have lines out the door? - he was dumbfounded).

Chad got the "Hemi" - three hamburger patties on a bun with the usual fixin's.

Colin and Gabe got the corndogs - huge, greasy, and freshly made.

It looks large-but Chad had no problem eating it, though it completely fell apart half-way through. The taste? Basically like regular ol' ground beef. Not exactly "money."

I got the pork chop sandwich - it was good, but pretty bland. I really wanted some kind of tasty kick -some sweetness like coleslaw or some acid, but it was just basically what you see in the picture with a little bit of mayo on it.

The onion rings were the best part of the meal - generous, flavorful, with a light batter that was far from typical. Even Colin, who normally won't go near onions, liked them. We also got the hush puppies, which were good, but not the best we have had in the four years since we first tried this southern appetizers.

Would we go again? - the price was right and the food was about what you expect from a greasy dive (I felt sick for the rest of the day, and Gabe later lost his lunch in the Target parking lot -after we piled Chick-fil-A on top of this). If we had friends who were fans of the show who wanted to go, we would probably go again, hopefully on a weekday this time!

Not sure when the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with Penguin Drive-In airs again, but the title of the episode is "Blue Plate Special" if you want to keep your eyes open for it!

4th of July pictures

Keepin' It Real Wednesday

The weather is a breezy 80 degrees. The tree-lined park is full of laughing children splashing in the fountain. In this picture-perfect summertime moment, the boys have just finished a snow cone, and are now standing in line at the carousel.

And how does Colin feel about all of this?

To be fair, Gabe did just whack him. And to be fair to Gabe, Colin had been yanking his carousel ticket away over and over again.

Please tell me I am not the only one whose kids seem to get a little on edge when we are doing something extra fun or special.

I think the look on Chad's face is priceless. "You gettin' all this sweetheart?"

Keepin' It Real Wednesday

The kids and I took a spur-of-the-moment trip to the garden last week. It was raining lightly off and on, and I didn't know how long we would be able to stay, but all four of us desperately needed some time outside. Okay, I desperately needed some peaceful time outside.

I found that the sweetly soaked flowers were exactly what I needed to soothe my soul. The kids know the garden well enough to run up and down the rows while I quietly and slowly meander. With Oliver in my arms, I admired the vibrant colors brought out by the cloudy sky. My camera stayed on constantly because couldn't stop myself from taking picture after picture.

I was soon in my entraptured, "Anne" state, lost to the troubles of the world and given over to the lush and generous glories of the world. Red, purple, pink, green, all illuminated by pearly raindrops. My soul soared and my shoulders relaxed.

As I stood trying to capture the perfect image of this trumpet vine crawling off a pergola, with ants busily scrambling over it, Oliver strained to get out of my arms to the wet floor. I decided he could sit on the floor for the duration of a few shots...

And three shots was all it took to look down and find this..

Oliver snacking on freshly planted vegetation, like it was a crunchy celery stick.

It was a quick and efficient way to be snapped back into reality. You are not Anne of Green Gables, Katie Lynn. You are not on Prince Edward Island. You have three kids who need to be fed and you have a very dirty house waiting for you at home.

I scooped my baby up, brushed him off, tried to replant his snack, and told a gardener on him. She just laughed, and a little bit of that gloriousness was able to cling to my heart the rest of the day.

Well....

I didn't quite meet my goal of 22 posts by the 22nd.

Oh wait, I just did :o)

We are off to Spokane early early tomorrow morning. Wish me luck flying with three kids! I have some posts planned for the time that I am away, so still come back and visit.

Music at the Pond

We went to Music at the Pond last Friday. We brought sodas and pop ice to keep the kids happy, and Ollie kept quite busy trying to get grab everyone's drinks when they put them down. That kids never gives up!

It was great fun! Looking at last year's pictures, I can't believe how much the boys have grown up! And hurray for no drought and green grass this year!

To The Father of My Children

I had a post all planned out in my head about you. As you know though, it has been a busy nonstop weekend. So busy that you made 3 dozen cookies for church (your own Father's Day cookies) as a surprise for me while I was out shopping for you yesterday. You knew it was on my to-do list. Then you washed the dishes today and did about 5 loads of laundry so that we could pack for our trip. What a special day for you! (sigh)

That's the way you are, and it is one of a million things that make you wonderful.

I took this picture of you the other day and it made me laugh. At first it looks like you are ignoring the kids to text or something, but you and I know you have never sent a text message in your life.

What you are doing is trying to figure out the camera on your new phone so that you can snap some pictures of our adorable kids.

I also like it because your arms look hot.

Super Dad. Super Husband.

I love you.

Happy Father's Day Dad!

For your present this year, I went over to your house and got your throne all ready for you!

Love you!

Hurray for Chick-Fil-A

You gotta hand it to Chick-fil-A for being closed on Sundays and showing that you can still be successful while keeping the sabbath day holy! What is really great about this is that unlike most places, they gave away their Father's Day freebie today instead of on Father's Day, which means we actually got to enjoy it!

Today they gave away a free milkshake to all dads who came in. It wasn't crowded at all when we went, and Chad got the "limited time only" peach shake because he has never tried it. His verdict? Very peachy, good for a peach shake, but he wished he had gotten the cookies and cream one instead. I enjoy fruit with ice cream more than he does, but I had to agree with him.

Thanks Chick-fil-A. Just one of the many reasons we love you!

One Happy Boy