It’s dark outside, it’s dark inside, and all is quiet. Yep, I said quiet. Both kids are blissfully asleep, Chris is at work, and I am enjoying the peace and quiet. I was going to tell another story tonight, but I’m not really in the mood. Another day, I promise.

We had a fun day today. Kyra woke me up earlier than I wanted to be woke up, insisting that I needed to feed her. Imagine that! My kid expects me to feed her. Not just once in a while, either. She expects it every day. Astonishing, no? Anyway, I got up, fed the kids, and preceded to plop on the couch with a new book. It’s called Little Earthquakes, and, so far, so good. I like it. I read for several hours, until Chris stole my book from me, called me a lazy, good-for-nothing, and ran off to the bedroom. Lucky for him, I caught the happy in his voice, and didn’t beat him up for the name-calling. When I went to demand my book back, he wasn’t in the bedroom. He wasn’t in the bathroom either. I then re-traced my steps, and still couldn’t find him. I went back through the bedroom, and looked in the hot tub room. He had snuck through there to the deck, and I saw him getting in the pool. Big dork! He never wants to swim when I do, but, when he wants to swim, he just gets in without saying anything. “So what?” you are probably asking. Well, so what is that he sneaks off without saying anything, and, thus, I am left to get the kids ready to swim. Swim diapers, bathing suits, sunblock, towels…you get the picture. So, anyway, I got the three of us ready, and joined him. We swam for a long time, until it started to get dark out. Chris and the kids then abandoned the pool for the hot tub, and I remained on a float until the thunder suggested I get out. After that, we grilled steaks and corn on the cob, and I made a salad. It was really yummy. I love my new grill, by the way. Elijah took a nap, then, and Kyra went up to play on our swing. Chris and I had some “Mommy and Daddy” time, and then I fed Kyra some popsicles. I really liked the kind I gave her. You know those plastic tube kind that have the liquid in them, and then you freeze them? Well, I love those kind. Let’s see, where was I? As Chris was getting ready for work, I went out to water my flowers, and check on the bunnies. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention…after Malachi examined their genitalia the other day, he pronounced them both to be girls. Yay for that. Also, Kyra decided on a name for her bunny. Thankfully, it’s not Baby Hop Hop, but Snow White. I thought that was cute. So we have Domino and Snow White. Okay, back to my narrative. While checking the bunnies, I noticed the blackberry bush, and decided to pick the ripe ones. I soon filled my hand, and had to go in to get a cup to put them in. Chris had to leave for work, and Elijah woke up from his nap. So, I put shoes on the kids, strapped Elijah in the wagon, and we went berry hunting. In the process of doing this, I decided to take them for a short walk on our road to see if I could find anymore blackberry bushes. I didn’t along the road, but, while walking the dirt road that goes around to the back of our property, I found an enormous berry patch. There weren’t many ripe yet, but they will be soon. We got so hot doing the berry picking that we decided to go for another swim. We swam for a good forty-five minutes, I would say, and then got out. I would have stayed in, but Elijah only wants to be in for a while before he gets tired of it. After we got re-dressed, we ate popsicles, and then the kids played on their swingset while I read my book on my new porch swing. We came in after an hour or a bit less, and the kids watched t.v. while I read. Kyra fell asleep in the chair soon after, and I put Elijah to bed, too.

And that brings me to now. Blissfully enjoying my night of peace and quiet. My day was great. Aren’t you jealous? Yep. I knew you were. Take heart! You might have a just as great day tomorrow. Just follow my plan of swimming, eating, berry picking, swimming, playing, and relaxing alone. It’s guaranteed to make you sigh a big old “life is good” sigh. Try it. I know you’ll like it.

I’ve been very busy the past several days. Sunday, of course, was church. My kids wanted to stay with my parents after church, so, while they were with her, Chris and I went out to eat all by ourselves. It was quite nice. Monday, we took the car to get the oil changed, first thing, and then we went to my papaw’s pond to go fishing. The fish weren’t biting, so I soon gave up. I’m not a very patient fisherwoman. Instead, Kyra, Seth, and I picked blackberries, and they are now waiting in my fridge for me to make them into a cobbler. Yum! So, then, Tuesday we took the kids, along with Luke and Seth, to Dollywood. We had a pretty good time, but it was really hot. It rained on us off and on, too, and, at one point, they shut down most of the rides because of thunderstorm warnings. We came home quite tired, and went right to sleep. Today, Malachi came over and brought Makenzie. Thus, the picture below. We ended up swimming for a while, which was tons of fun. Then we went grocery shopping, and then we went to church. After church, Chris and I watched one of those movies that sucks you in, and then makes you mad when it ends without actually telling you what happens. I hate those movies! So, that brings me to now, and I’m fixing to hit the hay. I’ll blog about something more interesting tomorrow. How about I tell you guys one of the other stories that didn’t get voted on. They were better than the goat story anyway. So, which would you like to hear? The Bike Jump That Wasn’t, or The Swiss Family Robinson Made Me Do It? Your pick.

So, with that, I’ll bid you goodnight.

This is my brother, Malachi. He wishes you to comment on whether you think he’s hot and sexy, and also whether you like his name or not. 

Kyra’s 3rd birthday party has came and went. It was a lot of fun. I managed to get everything done in time, and Kyra really enjoyed it. About half of the guest list didn’t show up, but we had fun with the guests who did deem it important enough to stop by. All of my family, except for my mom, left early to go to a church function, but they stayed for the food, gifts, and cake. Speaking of cake, Kyra really liked it. It was a Cinderella cake. Did I mention she was having a princess party? It was really cute. She liked it. She loved the dollhouse that Chris and I got her. She got tons of great gifts. Her Papaw Roy brought her a baby rabbit for her birthday. It’s solid white with pink eyes. She absolutely loved that. He brought Elijah one, too. Since Elijah can’t really talk yet, I got to name his bunny. It is black and white, so I named it Dominoe. Unfortunately, Kyra can talk, so will be naming her own bunny. Her track record with naming furry pets is sort of lack-luster. Our dog is named Baby Woof Woof. I guess we will be doing good if her bunny ends up with a name other than, like, Baby Hop Hop. The bunnies’ genders are undetermined, since they are babies and it’s hard to tell. That could hinder the naming process, eh?

We had a good time. Most importantly, Kyra had a good time. So, I’ll leave you all with some pictures from the party.

Kyra’s hot dog was yummy. 

I think Kenzie wanted Elijah to hurry up. 

Here I come! 

Kyra loved her cash register! 

Hmm, what’s this? 

Mommy and Makenzie gave Kyra a hand.