playing at the camp site.....

The boys had fun playing with their rocket shooters. There was another little boy camping next to us that the boys befriended.....it was nice for them to have someone new to play with :o)
Camden is turning into quite the punk. He just jumped up in the seat on top of Caden and wouldn't let him up.

Camden is getting ready to go "surfing" at the indoor pool. The boys were fried from the day before, so we spent a day inside :o)

Bennett is happy just playing with a toy all by himself :o) He must have stollen this toy from a brother and took off to be alone!

On the beach.....

The beach is one of the few places the boys don't fight. I don't know if it's the sound of the water/waves/wind that drown all the yelling and screaming or if they really do play well together.....whatever it is.....it works.
Benji loves the beach too....but the sun doesn't like him. He fries up like a little french fry!

Caden being a crab :o)

Bailey watching the surf......believe me, he spent more time watching and standing than he spent in the water. He can't get that big board out past all the breaks......poor kid.

In the "tent"....

Cam likes to wear my bathing suit top........(Lord help him!!!!) He calls it my swimming bra.....

Bennett likes to make faces out the screen.......

Bennett also likes to sit on the top bunk......

But his favorite thing INSIDE the "tent" has got to be the Bennett-sized bathtub!!!!!!!!!!!!!

new toys

It's about time I put up some pictures of Todd's (our) new toys!!!

This is our new "tent" for camping :o)

.......and we couldn't tow the tent without a Ford F250 diesel!!!!!

Here we are "red-neckin' it" at Camp Hatteras over Memorial Day weekend.

.....you didn't know you can't go camping at the beach without a new surfboard???????? (neither did I)

Happy Mother's Day

Let me begin by asking.....what idiot decided Mother's Day should be on a Sunday?????? It must have been a man. In theory, the idea of a mother enjoying the day with her precious little children is quite grand. In reality, they act like monsters no matter what day it is, so why pretend it's some special day for mom? If mother's day is really about moms having a special day, then why not make it fall on a Monday when the kids are at school? I could nap, take a bath (ALONE), go shopping........Better yet, why not have it Mother's Appreciation WEEK? Teachers get an entire week, shouldn't moms!!!!! It could start on Sunday (sure, I'd love to spend the day with my kids)....when the kids get on the school bus Monday morning, dad takes mom to the airport where she flies down to Orlando to meet some other mom friends. They all board the cruise ship and return the next weekend. If it was really about us moms, that's how it would be.

I'll have to live with the way the story goes though. Sure, Todd always makes sure I get to sleep in and doesn't expect me to do a darn thing all day long. He calls it my special day all day and always gets me a gift he knows I will enjoy. I got a certificate for a day at the spa this year! Kuddos to him......the Mother's Appreciation Week still sounds better though.

Today we took the boys to a strawberry farm to pick our own strawberries. Everyone had fun finding the perfect strawberry! I was cleaning, cutting, mashing, freezing strawberries for two hours this afternoon. Of course, after we threw our BBQ chicken and corn on "a stick" (as the boys call it) on the grill, we washed it all down with strawberry shortcake.....yummmmmmy!

Daddy helped Caden

I stayed with Camden (of course, we found the best strawberries)

Bailey and Bennett followed each other around

Mommy and her 4 boys

Yes, of course we ate some before we got them home and washed them!

We had a nice, relaxing day. We've been shopping for travel trailers lately. Don't be surprised if you start seeing a lot of camping pictures!!!!!! We love going to Virginia Beach and The Outter Banks, so we really think we'll be getting our toy within the next couple of weeks....we're all excited!

Hope your day was full of sunshine!

my swine has the flu

My poor little Bennett never gets sick. Everyone else in the family will catch something and keep passing it around, but he'll never get it. Well, he finally got something this weekend. That poor little guy with his fever....hugging his bucket so he doesn't puke all over. His normally chunky, pale cheeks have been thin and rosey. All he wants is his mommy. He was a little better today (for a few hours), and we're hoping tonight will be uneventful!!!!

A day with my baby.....

The twins had their first school field trip today.....the Norfolk Zoo. They're not home yet, but I'm sure there will be at least one horror story told at the dinner table tonight (which reminds me I need to start dinner).

Nope, I did not go along. I went on all of Bailey's field trips with him, but how do I choose whose class to walk with when the twins are in different classes? Not even going to try to manage that! So, instead, Bennett and I went on our own little field trip.

We went to a little place called Bluebird Gap Farm. There is a big play park, picnic/eating area, and farm animals to walk around and see/feed. He had so much fun feeding SINGLE pieces of feed to the animals. He was too scared to put his hand out with a bunch of food on it, so he pinched each little piece, put his hand out, and dropped it JUST before the animals could get it!!!! I felt bad for the poor animals.


These cows were laying right up next to the fence. Bennett yelled "moos" and ran over to them. I told him to turn around in front of the fence so I could get his picture next to them. He scrunched up his face and said, "No way....it might fart on me" and walked away. He did not like that big ol' butt up so close to him.

We also went to the elephant brunch. Ringling Bros is in town the next fews days and held an elephant brunch for the kids to come watch. It was cool watching them pig out on all the fresh fruits and vegetables....only a few feet in front of us. There were a dozen elephants and 6-8 tables FULL of food.....they were just as messy as my kids!

This big cabbage rolled away. The handler was brave enough to grab it and hand feed this monster though.

In a mood, to say the least.......

May YOUR day be filled with more sunshine than you can handle :o)

recent pictures of Bailey "Bay"

Bailey with Grandpa Bailey......awe!!!!!!!

My Guitar Hero :o)

The best big brother in the world!!!!!!!

Bailey's 14th birthday......Is that a smile I see on my child????? This is rare for a photo!!!!!!

The oldest grandchild on the Betz side :o)

Bailey is still an AMAZING teenager. He is a loner and doesn't do much besides go to school and play tennis. Still straight A's, got his schedule for next year (starting high school....I can't believe it), 4 honors classes and an AP class.....amazing! He was accepted into a very special academic program at one of the high schools......the school is in the ghetto, but the program he'll be in is cream-of-the-crop. He just needs to stay in his place at school! I couldn't be more proud of him. He is getting MUCH better at tennis and going to be an awesome asset to the tennis team at his high school. He really has focus and drive......I don't know where he got that.....but I'm thankful :o)

recent pictures of Caden

Finding eggs Easter morning.

Doing what he does best....fight, growl, attack!!!!!

We live by the BEST indoor waterpark ever.....Great Wolf Lodge. It is a lodge themed hotel/waterpark that is tons of fun!!!! only 15 minutes up the road!!!!!!!!

Aside from Cam, cousin Kayci is Caden's favorite kid in the world :o)

He sure clings onto his Mimi, too! Caden soaks up ALL the attention he can get.....good or bad, from anyone, anywhere......he is quite possessive of everyone and their attention!

If you understand Caden, you have something very special with him, and he'll do anything for you......he is an amazingly loyal and generous boy. If you don't understand him, you'll never want your own kids around him!

recent pictures of camden "cam"

Cam is an angel. He melts everyone's heart with his darling little smile and big dimples. His eyes are closed in this picture, but he has huge blue eyes with long black eyelashes....he is beautiful!

He's my eater, too! Anything I put in front of him, he'll eat....minus tomatoes :o) Caden won't eat anything but bread and pasta....no meat or veges....Cam is my helper by telling Caden how good everything is :o)

Showing off his Easter eggs....he is a proud little boy!

That is Harry....the fish....moments after we learned about death, moments before he was flushed. Cam was not a happy boy.....

All of my little boys are a pastey white......but still gorgeous!!!!!

GOTTA GO....I heard someone yell "idiot asshole" and then a slap and a scream!!!!!!!

recent pictures of bennett "benji"

Coloring easter eggs was a total nightmare....of course he had a great time and asks every morning if we can make more :o)

Busch Gardens is only 20 minutes from our house, which is VERY convenient! It was well worth getting passes, because I can take the kids for a couple of hours and not feel like I have to spend the entire day there! Sesame Street Forest of Fun opened this spring and is a HUGE hit with Benji!

Elmo is his favorite :o)

Little turkey kept saying, "watch me, mommy...i'm going to cut"

He loves to play in the backyard with mommy while all of his brothers are at school. He takes full advantage of being an only child during the day.

He is a total blast! A bundle of joy and fun. It's hard to believe he's my last baby. I can't believe he's almost 3. I really want him to stay this age forever. I'm really sad when I think of all my babies turning into little boys.....I want another baby :o)

Too much going on NOT to start a new blog

It's been a couple of years since I blogged about daily trials and tribulations of raising my boys, and I'm way overdue.

I'll try to post SOMETHING a couple times a week......pictures are my challenge right now, so don't know how often I'll get around to those.

Recent happenings.....

"Mom, Mrs Anderson lied to me!"
"What did she say?"
"If I'm really quiet I can hear God. I was really really quiet and I didn't hear anybody!"
(Caden, of course)

Caden again....
"Mommy, I had to go pee really bad on the bus, and I couldn't hold it!!!!" as he comes stumbling down the stairs off the bus.
"Did you pee your pants?"
"No way!" as he pulls out his water bottle from his lunch box....full of pee!
I can picture him balls-deep in that water bottle on the bus. I can't believe he pulled it off without anyone noticing.....especially the bus monitor!

Bennett is a total lover....always hugging, kissing, snuggling with me. He ALWAYS says, "Mommy, you're so pretty, you're my princess, and a balarina, and a dancer."
(A dancer????? Are you kidding me???? I keeping telling my sweet little Bennett to stop saying that in public. People are going to get the wrong idea of this old lady!)

"Mommy, Caden is the bad child, right?"
(Camden)

May your day be filled with sunshine :o)
Ciao for now!