Have you entered my Country Outfitter giveaway yet? It’s worth $150! What are you waiting for??

It hasn’t been the greatest of weeks this week. We’ve had some family trauma and things I never thought I’d have to deal with. We’ve tried to make the best of it, though.

July 29

We went to T’s grandma’s 90th birthday party and picked up the kids from there (remember my #kidvacation last week?). They weren’t thrilled to be going home, any of them. That always makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. It’s probably my payback for doing it to my parents when I was a kid.

We got home and had supper, then the kids finally got to ride on their new birthday bikes (I say “the kids” because they’re the girls’ bikes but it was a game of musical bikes).

I have to show this one, too, because I missed my little man (and his cheeks) and love the trampoline action in the background.

July 30

Monday was a day of major grandma detox around here. We survived, however. And so did this guy:

It’s been so hot and dry around here that my pumpkins and tomatoes are the only things thriving in the garden, but we have gotten a few gorgeous sunflowers. I think this one is taller than I am.

July 31

Tea Party day! We’d been waiting for months for it, and it finally came. But first, the girls had to try on their new birthday socks, shoes, and underwear. Why not?

(See that look on Ivy’s face? She looks exactly like her dad Justin there. Exactly.)

Aug 1

We really didn’t do much on Wednesday. We were going out of town for a funeral and then heading to AR to visit the last of the kids’ grandparents before school started again. I packed, the kids goofed around.

Here’s Henry pretending to fly an X-Wing Starfighter. I kind of think he looks more like a Top Gun character, though.

Aug 2

We drove most of the day on Thursday. The kids got to sleep for a lot of it, since they have to take Dramamine if they’ll be in the car for more than an hour (yep, Ervin has joined the rest of his siblings in the Car Sick Club). But, that meant that by the time we got to our destination, they weren’t all that tired. Ervin fell asleep at his uncle’s house at, oh…..10pm?

Aug 3

My SIL works at a tattoo shop and helped me set up an appointment while we were in Arkansas. I have a tattoo that represents the big two and myself, and needed something that would represent all four of the kids. I finally decided on a pinwheel, and chose a color for each of the kids. I’m happy with how it turned out!

Aug 4

It is our last full day in AR. The big three spent some time with their other grandparents that live down here, and swam (and swam some more). Somehow, it turned out that my good friend was having her daughter’s birthday party this evening, so we actually got to go. They had a monster water slide. My kids were scared to go down it, but they bounced on it a little. Of course, they had a blast anyway.

Ervin headed for the monster slide.

I would like to add that I’m so glad Jessica introduced me to Statigram. It makes writing these posts SO. MUCH. EASIER. Thanks, Jess!