Road-Trip.

The last week or so has been crazy around here.
Between football, getting ready for back-to-school, editing pictures like a mad woman and our end-of summer trip last week, I have had little time for blogging. [Sad face.]

Happy to announce though that things are winding down - just a bit.
We are close to being finished with shopping for the kids, (can't believe they head back next week) football practices for Layton are in full swing and the kid has the bruises [and cleat marks on his chest to prove it.]
I am finished with the pictures of my last (and largest) session at the beach a few weeks ago - might I add? I am UBER-PROUD of them, and our trip to Baker City to visit the Birminghams was a blast.

I must admit, I was a little worried about making the 6 hour trip. I figured that being couped up with the kids (and the husband) for that long would drive me nuts. Wrong. We just cranked up 80's music and enjoyed the drive.

While there, we BBQ'd, spent time at the lake on the jet-ski's, had amazing pizza, got a tour of the cute little "Sliverton-type" town they live in, took the girlies to the salon for bright hair and feather exstensions, played tons of boardgames (which I must say - was the most humorous part of our stay) and Jhonna and I even sneaked away one evening by ourselves to share cheese fondue and a bottle of wine. Holy batman - it was killer,

All-in-all, it was a great time and I miss them already.

This crazy thing called technology.

I actually asked myself the other day after 'reserving' a movie through redbox for pick up: "how did we ever get by before smartphones?

I find it both amazing, and ridiculous at the amount of things that we can do with our phones these days.

We can surf the web, check our status on facebook, rent a movie, play games, order anything that we can find on-line. We can download music, download videos, record our own and post them to youtube, order a pizza and have it delivered (without even speaking to a live person.) We can pay our bills, navigate our cars, scan barcodes at grocery stores, and this is just a small portion of what they are used for.

Am I the only one who finds this craz-y?

I remember rotary phones, payphones, the first cell phone that my mom ever had, [It weighed about 10 lbs, and was as big as a shoe] and phone books! (Okay wait. Do they even make those anymore?)
Geez, have we come far or what.

I can't even imagine what it will be like 10 years from now, but I guess It's just another tool created to help us citizens become even more lazy in our everyday lives.
Call me guilty though - because I do love mine!

Reason enough to do my happy dance.

What makes me literally jump up and down, flap my arms, shake my butt and and scream like a little kid in pure excitement? Um...Fruit Ninga!

I have spent weeks playing it on my phone and I could barely contain myself when I discovered that it is now available on the XBOX. [Oh, it was a happy day.]

Laugh at me if you want to. That game just rocks.

The battle has begun here in the Frakes' house... and my poor aching arms keep reminding me of it.

The prisoner.

Bentlee has resorted back to his puppy-ways in the last couple of days.
He has been sneaking items into his back yard and chewing the crap out of them.
Not exactly sure why he is acting this way but he is on thin ice in this house.
The day before last he chewed up Kaylee's brand-new sandals, yesterday I found a flip-flop, and a shoe that he drug out, and this morning?  It was my cutest Victoria Secret bra - ripped, torn, chewed, and half-eaten.
I totally flipped out on him (doesn't he know that those are freaking expensive?)
I know it surprised him, because usually it's Lee who acts like a raging lunatic when hes naughty.
I locked him in his kennel for 3 hours and I didn't feel even a little bit bad for him. He's lucky he didn't die.

All I know is - if he doesn't cut this crap out... like NOW, he will be in lock-up all the time and that cage is going to be his new home. Permanetly.
[[You don't eat my favorite bra and get away with it Mr. Bentlee.]]

[NEW] Ink.

Lee got his tattoo this week.
It's his family crest and a tribute to the kids and myself.

Ty [From Tattoo Asylum] did an amazing job at capturing Lee's vision and then transferring it to his skin.

Of course, the entire time Lee kept talking crap about me not having a tattoo for him yet.
So, what did I do? I got one too. Duh
A matching little "76" on my left wrist:

I kinda like it... a lot.

Last week on the homefront:

Kaylee finished up her swim season with a pretty cool pool party.
She even caught a goldfish in the pool and now has another pet that she is responsible of feeding.
I fear that this # will continue to go up in the coming years. [Oh who am I kidding? I know it will.]

Layton was certified to play football and he finally got his gear.
Practices start next week and he is excited.
I must say that my favorite part of all this? His cute little butt in his football pants. A-DOR-ABLE.

I took advantage of a sale that Old Navy was having on jeans over the weekend. 10 bucks a pair could not be passed up.
I am happy to report that school-shopping is almost a done deal.
Oh, I love the feeling of accomplishment.

I dyed my hair dark. Really dark with a touch of all-over red. I'm really liking it.

Layton and Shelby had a camp-out in the backyard at Grandma & Grandpas on Saturday.
I was proud (and shocked) that they actually made it all night outside in a tent.
They had so much fun that Layton was passed out after being home for barely 5 minutes. The kid slept for 2 hours.
I am pretty thankful for such great in-laws.
These kids of mine are blessed to have Grandparents as wonderful as they are.

I fell in love with a new drink at Starbucks (okay, so new to me.)
Their double-chocolate-chip frappuccino is awesome.
[Actually, one of those is sounding pretty good right about now.]

I think we ended almost every night at the pool.
We love going late, because it's usually just us, and trying jumps off of the diving board (and looking a bit challanged) is wayyyy more fun without an audience.

Lee is now done with overtime for awhile. [The angels are singing.]
I am ready to see my husband for more than a day out of the week.

I have been going through a 'take-a-picture-of-everything-with-your-phone' stage lately, and have noticed that I need to stop posting so many pictures of my animals on Facebook. People are going to start making fun of me.

[[Oh, and speaking of pictures with my phone, Layton and I got a little bored a few days ago.]]
Here's the proof:

[NEW]

I'm a total wuss when it comes to needles.
I always say that the worst part of labor for me (both times) was my IV and the epidural.
Seriously, it was.

I have never been one to really like piercings other than the ear lobes.
I got my belly button done years ago (and almost cried) but it closed up awhile ago and I will never do it again.
For some reason though - the industrial has always been one that I have wanted.
I think it's different, kinda funky, and totally cool looking.
So, last night [after 2 years of wanting it] I went for it.
And?... it hurt. Bad. Really, really bad.

I don't know what was worse, the crunching sound of my cartilage, or the feeling that the guy was stabbing me with a needle the size of a coffee straw. [Oh, wait. He was stabbing me with a needle the size of a coffee straw.]

Yes, it sucked. but I survived, and I love it.

But, now? Onto the healing proccess - which so far is proving to suck just as bad.

My time-for-a-change challenge.

I have been battling with myself for the past few weeks about one thing: my hair.

For the last 7 1/2 years, there has been little difference. I've played it up with color but the cut has always stayed pretty much the same.

So? Time for something different.
I have decided to let it grow.

Don't fall over people... I'm for real.

Now, for those of you who really know how I am, you know that this is gonna be a true test for me.
I laughed when I told the bestie because the first thing out of her mouth was: "Um, no you won't."
[She really does know me too well.]
She knows that I have tried this in the past (a few times) with no success.
Usually 8 weeks in it has me flipping out, and making an appointment.

I am aware that this process is going to be slow, frustrating, and for a little while I am going to be looking pretty shaggy (and hideious) I am sure. But, I want shoulder-length hair that I can pull back in a pony, pin back in cute twists, or even curl and crimp when I am in the mood.

I am just finding that I am super bored with the old, and I am more than ready to look a little bit different for a change.

Lee is already betting me that by the end of this month I will be calling my stylist to chop it off again.
Let's just hope that when I go in for my trim & color in a few weeks - that I don't actually cave.
I really do hate it when that guy is right.

Now, this is summer.

The last week has been awesome.
Temps in the mid-80's, the sun always shining through my windows in the morning, and the smell of fresh-cut grass and people BBQ-ing when I walk outside.

Who would have thought that Summer would decide to show up, finally at the end of July?
All I can say is that we are happy to see it.
The last 3 nights we have been down at the pool until 10 o'clock enjoying the warmer evenings, and I have actually needed to wear my sunglasses during the day.

Two things that I will complain about though [only, because I want to] is the bees and mosquitoes that seem to come along with the nicer weather, and the fact that they seem to love me lately. I counted 13 mosquito bites on my legs last week. The little bastards actually bit me through my jeans. Yeah... not-so-awesome.

But otherwise? I am one happy [& sun-tanned] girl.
Summer is my favorite season and I hope it chooses to stick around until October!