How Josh spent his vacation

So this is how my husband got to spend his vacation. Most of it anyways. He did take the kids camping twice, and we did get to go to the zoo but otherwise for 9 days this is what he did. I must say it looks awesome. He wanted to powerwash the whole porch so it would be ready to paint but that did not happen. He also wanted to mow the grass and that didnt happen but by golly we have our new front porch steps.

Here are the kids trying to help Josh get some work done. Poor guy has been working on this porch all by himself since Monday. He is getting close though he only has the railings left.

I dont know why these pictures are so blurry. I think my camera got a little fogged over Josh had it in with the water bottles.

So I was kind of worried when Ben came into my room at 3:33 am that we might not get to do the zoo thing. The poor guy had really horrible stabbing pains in his stomach. We just kind of layed in bed trying to rest but never able to go back to sleep. About 6:30 he started throwing up and by 7:00 you would have never known he got sick. I dont know what that was all about but we went to the zoo anyways.

We got there as soon as it opened. It looks so much better than it had. I guess we havent been there in awhile or they have been working super fast. The kids had a blast. We sat down and had some lunch that we packed and finished our zoo trip about 12:30. It was getting pretty hot by then.

We came home and Ben and Faith took a nap while the rest of of rested a bit. Josh did somemore work on the porch. He is working his butt off on this vacation. They are planning on going camping again on Saturday so that will be nice for them.

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So I started babysitting the neighbor girls today. So far so good. They actually all got along pretty well. Like Josh brought to my attention though its only the first day.
As I told you all before my phone went completely about a week ago. I thought I was just going to have to do without but Josh surprised me with a new pink phone yesterday. Yea. My other one had water damage. I have no idea how though. I never dropped it in the toilet, or sink. I dont get it. I did last me 4 years though so I guess that is good.
Josh in on vacation this week so of all days he decided to work on the front porch. Not that he had much choice of days with it going to be feeling like over 100 degrees all week. We have some rotted wood he is replacing, plus he is replacing the steps and shaping them differently, then we will paint it.
Faith loves Ben she calls him her best friend. Does she even know what a friend is yet. She just loves him.
She really loves getting her picture taken. Can you tell.

Just the girls!!!

So it is just me and little miss Faith this weekend. Josh took the boys camping. I love that, that is how they decide to spend their quality time instead of in front of the tv or playing video games. Brandon and Ben love to go camping. They come home so exhausted but so full of stories about what they saw or found. It was kind of rainy yesterday but that did not even bother them. They called me last night and said mommy we were playing checkers in the tent with daddy while it rained. They went by themselves on Friday night and on Saturday some of the boyscout boys are going to go out and join them.

I have been kind of frustrated lately so maybe this weekend came at the right time. First my cellphone broke it wont work at all. It is amazing how many times you try to reach for something when it breaks you dont even realize how much you come to rely on something. Then my coffee grinder shot out. Well all I have in the house is coffee beans. Then I am still having issues with the sinus infection. I still feel it lingering. The pills I have to take make my stomach hurt for about 2 hours after I take it. Man what a pain. I start babysitting the neighbor girls on Monday and I will have Makenna on Wednesdays so anything I need to get done I will need to get done this weekend. I work best when I wait till the last minute.

So I finally got myself to the doctor. And low and behold I have another sinus infection. If I ever even got over the first one. He put me on a super powerful antibiotic for the next 21 days, and if it doesnt go away this time I will be going in for a CT scan. Fun huh. I think it is just sticking around because I have really not be able to rest lately. And am saying YES to everyone and leaving myself no time for me. I know, I know but anyone whos knows me knows that is how I am .

Anyways Ben is doing great. He didnt have any problems with his ear. The only thing he doesnt like is he cant swim. Poor guy. I will be taking care of Makenna on Wednesdays for my sis. Brandon is in love with Makenna but Faith is super jealous. She kept telling me to put that baby down. Faith is so funny she will say that she is freezing and tell me to hold her. So she kept saying that all day and wanting me to hold her instead of Makenna. A few more Wednesday's and she will get use to it.

Josh had to go into work this weekend to help out another co-worker so again we havent seen much of him. The kids are kind of getting frustrating. Josh gets up and leaves before we all get up and doesnt get home until the kids are already asleep. But he is on vacation for a week and a half and he is going to take them camping, we are gonna try to go to the zoo. So hopefully we can have some much needed family time.

What a day!!!

So the day started at 4:45 for me. I have not slept the past 4 nights. Josh has been on duty and everytime I would almost dose off his phone would ring. He has been on duty since last Thursday and it has been a rough duty. Not only is the weather not being that great but alot of people are on vacation so he is almost literally by himself. But he is handling it pretty well considering. It was also kind of frustrating cause Ben had to have his ear surgery this morning and Josh couldnt take the day off. So a friend of mine was so kind as to take Faith and Brandon this morning at 6:00 am. Josh took the kids over there and me and Ben headed to the hospital at 5:45 this morning. He had to have a tube removed that punctured his eardrum and then they had to patch his eardrum. He did really good except he got a little sick from the anesthesia. His ear will probably bleed for a day or too and he also will not be able to swim or dunk his head for the next 4 to 6 weeks. Poor kid nice summer fun. I have also been fighting another cold or sinus infection. This has been my second one in less than a month. I wonder if the first one ever actually went away. So the rest of the day will be spent relaxing and watching movies.

What a super fun 4th of July. We decided to have Mexican food this 4th and it was wonderful. We had tacos, enchiladas, and lots of chips and dip. Nick made some yummy red, white, and blue drinks for the adults and Brandi made some kid drinks for the younguns. Faith had a super fun time and she mostly played by herself she just loved the day. Max was better this year he usually screams the entire time the fireworks go off but not this year. Even the noise didnt bother Makenna.

The big boys played some hillbilly horseshoes in the back yard and my dad was really good at the game. Just when we think we cant top the year before we do. Awesome memories. Brandon had a blast for several hours he was the only one letting off fireworks and he didnt care. He did get popped in the nose by one but it didnt seem to phase him. Josh didnt get much of a 4th because he is on duty. But he did get to show up and eat a little and play some hillbilly horseshoes but then he had to come home and crash so he could get up at the crack of dawn and do it all again.

Summer school is over!!!

So today was the last day of summer school. It has been a busy 31/2 weeks. I am glad the kids were able to go because it gives them something to do and summer school is so fun here. Plus they get paid to go as long as they dont miss any days so that is great. They got their money and off to Walmart we went. It is so cute to see what they picked out to buy. Brandon thinks so hard about what he wants and he wants to get the most for his money. He doesnt want to get just one thing. So he has been thinking about this for days. Ben on the other hand doesnt get it yet so he picked his stuff out super quick and spent all of his money. Ben picked out a Indiana Jones lego set and a Bakugan launcher and one Bakugan. Brandon got a Bakugan launcher, 2 Bakugans, an abomination action figure, and a little baby doll for Faith and still has $10 left over to spend on fireworks. By the way they each earned $40. So since we got home they have been playing. What awesome kids.