Nelly's First Slurpee

Mmmm...Grape!!

summer fruit

I love summer fruit.  All of it...berries, peaches, melon.  The boys have their favorites (Jared loves cantaloupe and raspberries, Owen loves strawberries and blackberries).  On any given day in the summer months...I'll enjoy this for breakfast or lunch (or both!)

It doesn't get much better than that!

Lego-Mania!

I remember playing with Legos as a kid.  We had a big drawer in the family room "wall-unit" that was filled with our Lego collection.

My boys have always LOVED to play with Legos.  They enjoy the big sets with complex directions...Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean are huge hits.  But, as many know, the big sets rarely stay assembled for long.  Then we end up with something like...well, this!

Our Lego drawer is generally such a disaster, and it usually spills out onto the top of the train table, the floor, the stairs, their rooms...you get the idea.

The boys have been busy in Lego-mode today.  They spent much of the morning perusing the Lego catalog.  It's always an exciting day when a new one arrives.  This one's been around for a few weeks, but I don't dare throw it away.

"Let's get this one"



"I don't think this $2 bill is going to buy us much"



















Showing off their creations becomes like a game..."look what I made"..."now look at his ship"...and then there are often very detailed descriptions of the guns involved, where everyone sits, how it flies....

A modified SW ship

Free-form creation



A close up

But in the end...it's all about the mini-figs.  We had a fun time with the mini-figs earlier this year when we ordered a bunch of the new hockey player mini-figs for Owen.  We didn't tell him that they were all hockey guys - he was beyond elated!

Owen generally has a small collection of guys involved in an elaborate game on his desk, floor, and chair.

Boba-Fett...huge favorite

A pilot


The days spent in Lego play are getting further apart...especially both of them together.  Jared gravitates to his DS or the Lego games on Wii more often than the actual bricks.  But we do have days like today, where hours are spent digging through the piles and piles of Legos.  Given the amount of action that Legos still see (especially with that little blonde one), I expect that I'll be stepping on them for a while, yet.

the 20-minute dinner

Here it is...the 20-minute dinner.  My baby sister turned me on to this super easy meal.  Salmon, brown rice, steamed broccoli, salad & veggies.  I guess I need to add in the extra 5 minutes to make Jared his hot dog....

keeping cool...or trying, at least

Summer is in full-force around here...mid-90's all week and potential to hit 100 degrees tomorrow...that's before the heat index!  It's really too hot to cook...too hot to sit outside...too hot for much of anything.

Owen's enjoying his week at Grammie Camp - they went to the movie today.  Jared's keeping himself occupied with movies and his new DSi XL (he has swimmer's ear so no pool for him).

Our family is big into ice cream.  We all enjoy a bike ride up to Cap'n Frosty for a cone.  And the boys love to stop for a treat at the DQ Grill & Chill.  They're even fine with a $1 sundae from McD's, which used to be an after-swim lessons tradition.

But I've recently discovered Blue Moon ice cream.  How did I never know that this existed?!  Maybe because I've been so drawn to the ultimate ice cream experience...chocolate peanut-butter.  It's my go-to whenever we're out for ice cream, particularly the Peanut Butter Cup Perfection at Cold Stone.

So I bought the kids ice cream the other day when we were at Busch's.  They both chose Blue Moon.  Really?  Blue ice cream?!  After dinner that night, they begged for some, so I made them each a bowl, and figured I'd give it a taste.  W-O-W! 

That Guernsey Blue Moon ice cream is AMAZING! Never tried it? Do it...you won't be disappointed.


And really...how cute is that carton?!





Perfect cone-making skills























So...on a hot day like today...what better way to cool off while slogging through some data?

a rainy day

We finally had some rain today...not as much as we'd like, but some.  We heard some amazing thunder and saw some frightening streaks of lightning.  After such a long stretch of sunny (and HOT) weather, hopefully the grass and trees will green up a little bit over the next couple of days.  Even with sprinklers, our grass has some seriously burnt patches.

Owen's Disney potted flowers are blooming!



Puddles



A few little tomatoes so far!



My favorite hosta



Daylillies



take me out to the ballgame!

It sure was a hot day for a ballgame!  But we all had a great time despite the heat.  It was "kids' day" at Comerica Park, so the kids walked in and were handed a baseball mitt - doesn't get much better than that!

We rode the ferris wheel!



  



BBQ Chicken Drumsticks at Hard Rock Cafe