a sleeping shot...

they fight like puppies...


they sleep like puppies.

what i miss most...

our 2 weeks at the beach went so fast. it was, for me, the best vacation...here is what i am missing...


**the first moments on the beach on the very first day***


** the water **


**boogie boarding**


** smiling faces in the sun**

**waiting all year and finally being tall enough!!!!!!!!**


**being lost in the moment**


we are already, yes, already looking forward to next year...

this little guy...

never wants to put his hammer down.

looking for work

construction on the new porch roof began today. jason, his dad, and sean worked hard even as it got dark. lila helped on and off but was content to hang out with the girls. sadly, one little guy was left out. he knew he should be on the boys team and tried every way he could to get out there. he tried to sneak in the garage and bring jason the tools he left or race through the gate EVERY time it opened.he was so determined! he found his hammer and held tight - hoping that someone would notice and need use of his skills.
hammering the camera lens included!

he then tried another angle...coiling up the extension cord....and giving it to people and saying thank you each time :)he was really hard to distract!

here are some action shotsof the "workers". sean rode around on his old construction vehicle supervising and then was actually allowed to hammer stuff. he was in heaven! the guys were so patient and let him help the whole time. he even took coffee breaks with them.

we even had time for a dinner break. fresh mahi-mahi caught by steve and macaroni salad, cole slaw and corn on the cob from beth...delicious!!!!

sean kept running in and having us feel his muscles. he was so proud of his work. he even whispered to me that he was probably as strong as jason....or maybe a little bit STRONGER. one day, he said, ben might even be as strong as he is.


they showered and fell right asleep with plans to wake up with the sun and get back to work. maybe ben will have more luck tomorrow...

big plans for a little man

ben had a good day. he enjoyed his smoothie, took a long late afternoon nap, and got to be in control for a little while. he had big plans. and we were happy to let him do his thing. first he decided that the dining room chairs should be in the living room. facing out. he used so much energy accomplishing this feat. i wish you could have heard the noises he was making while dragging these big chairs into the living room and then positioning them right.

we thought that actually it was pretty fine positioning and we enjoyed the view on this sunny day. but that was just the beginning...next, he went back into the dining room and got the guitar (i didn't even know that he knew what it was or where!) and grunted some more until we brought that into the living room as well. we got the hint. family guitar time in front of the sunny window. it was such a great plan!

he was satisfied. later i took him to the library and he went to work. he found all of the little chairs and started dragging them around and lining them up. only this time there was no guitar and no audience. he got bored of the activity and was content to go home and have a great afternoon. he didn't fall asleep until after 10:00. he couldn't stop giggling. even when all of the lights were out he was curled up in my arms giggling. i think he was proud of himself. i gave him a million kisses and reluctantly layed him down where he finally settled into a good sleep.

girls just wanna have fun...

we have a new tradition here in the thompson house - the half birthday. as we are always looking for a new reason to celebrate, we love adding this one on. lila turned 5 1/2 today and boy did we party! not even a rained out day at the pool could dampen this parade...

they formed a band called the" purple rosies" and sang "hungry like the wolf"..........(gotta love the lead singer)

twister

lila is the type of child who is rarely bored. she just always manages to amuse herself. this morning sean was laying upside down on the couch complaining at just how extremely bored he was and she decided to take matters into her own hands. out came twister... sean said he was to bored to play. she didn't care. as long as i spun the dial she would be happy to play by herself she claimed. so i agreed. her playing alone lasted about one minute before the WHOLE family joined in...sparky included :)


we never laughed so hard!!!!!!!

lazy summer days

it seemed as if as soon as spring turned to summer - everything changed around here. i no longer have 3 children. sometimes i have the whole neighborhood and other times its just me and ben. it starts before i wake up. they are already out playing...my own children inlcuded! there are some new rules around here now...like : mommy needs to be awake before your friends come over! lila is big enough this year to run with the "gang" as sean calls it. she even looked bigger today with her shorts and cute ponytail. they are having a blast and we all go to bed fulfilled. them having had super busy days and me finally getting some much needed free time. today was a little different though. it was quiet. we woke up and had breakfast and were together. no one seemed to mind that it was just us. we found our rhythm just fine. we had fun. it was a lazy summer day. my favorite. around 2:00 the "gang" started to get together and they resumed their games. it was calmer today for some reason. it seemed as if everyone was on the same page. everyone seemed to be taking in the moment. this is summer...

i managed to capture some pictures of our lazy morning...


ben amused himself by playing "night-nights" on the kitchen rug while we ate breakfast.

lila settled in and drew all of the characters in spongebob...they were fantastic and from memory!
sean taught ben how to have a pillow fight. just as i was about to demand he stop as ben was too little for such a game, up pops ben with a pillow and he is laughing so hard he can barely breathe.
sean said that he has a feeling that he and ben are going to be really great brothers.


they made beautiful flower arrangements...sparky's dog bowl becomes something new
every day :)


it was actually quiet enough for ben to hear the airplanes!

sean found a renewed love for strawberries...fresh from our garden.

and they swang...for hours...they NEVER seem to tire of this great activity.

i hope i always remember this day...