July 4th with Tammy & Co.

This summer has been actioned pack as usual. My sister Tammy came over the 4th of July as she has done for years with her daughter's Claudia and Amanda. Amanda had her three kids Landon, Aleyia and Haley. Mom of course was here too and then as an added bonus this year my Uncle Del and Aunt Sondie came as well as my cousin Paula and her two kids Corey and Lexi. Very big fun... here are the photos of the crazy wall to wall event.



Del and Paula making the homemade ice cream for Lorea's B-day

Kids all gathered around to see what Lorea got!

Haley it's party time!

Cory getting some serious air compliments of Akins and Lexi

Tammy living like a kid!
Corey waiting his turn for the quad
Lorea crashed and burned
"The Seniors" seeking out some relief from the sun
Setting up to light the skies on fire
The kids playing the color game - Claudia guessing blue
Landon goes in for the ball
Tammy taking the plunge
Paula give Lexi a ride
Who's having more fun Paula or Corey
Uncle Del and Lorea fixing the motorcylce
Sondie... you daredevil
Amanda out like a light
and then everyone goes home and we sleep anywhere

Who's on First?

Everyday is filled with funny moments that I say to myself in my head I must blog. Pictures are piling up in the camera and my new job consumes me, a venture that looks like it is another good year from completion. But there is this one thing that I must share because it seems to be this circuitous thing we do nearly every day much like the Who's on First riddle. It includes these four words; may, ma'am, man and sir. Seemingly easy stuff right? Well, not so much in this house.

When Akins first came to America we began the process of building in some manners and he very quickly learned to say "may I have....please", then we introduced Ma'am and Sir. BIG MISTAKE and well man is used so commonly it just gets tossed into the fray. So it goes kind of like this...

Akins: May, Ma'am I have some water please sir?
Lorea: Ma'am, may I have some water please? Yes sir.
Akins: Man, I have some water please ma'am?
Lorea: May, I have some water please ma'am? Yes sir.
Akins: Sir, may I have some ma'am water please man.
Lorea: Sir! You calling me sir. Who's sir!
Akins: Mommy-O
Lorea: Mommy-O is not a sir, she's a Ma'am.
Akins: Ma'am I have some water sir?
Lorea: May I have some water please? Yes sir you sure can.
Akins: Man, may I have some water please ma'am.
Lorea: Close enough, yes sir you may.

This goes on everyday. My mother seldom goes into fits of hysteria, unlike my sister and I who will uncontrollably laugh for no apparent reason, was present for this event and was laughing so hard she was crying!

I swear I am going crazy at times!

Why is my nose soft?

Yesterday Mom and Akins came to collect me from the airport on return from a week away on business. As we were driving home we have this conversation...

Akins: "Mommy-O why is my nose soft"? (This is something he has asked me on a few other occasions so I was not surprised by the question)
Grandma: "What do you mean? Not hard like ours"?
Akins: "Yours has bone in it". (He pronounces bone like boone - very cute). "Mommy let me feel". He reaches up and pushed on my nose in a few places saying "hard, hard, hard" with each touch.
Mommy-O: "Yep, mine is hard and yours is soft".
Akins: "IT'S NOT FAIR"!
Grandma: "It's not fair that yours is soft and ours is hard"?
Akins: "No it's not fair".

Mother's Day Take Two

Today we celebrate our 2nd Mother's Day with Akins. I called Mom this morning to tell her Happy Mother's Day and she returned the comment - pretty weird and still somewhat surreal. I'm not sure why since I hear either Mommy or Mommy-O at least 900 times per day.

We had a nice weekend. With two moms we get double the fun. Lorea had her day yesterday with her restuarant pick - yes that's right Sushi. Needless to say Akins was thrilled. Today Mom and I got our pick a steak house. Mom came over and we opened gifts which Akins was barely able to hold his tongue about but with many threats and much restraint he did. Here are some of the highlights.

Lorea lookin' pretty cute

Oh, I know how to get it off Grandma

Grandma's balloon popped and scared every one

Playin' the singing cards from Claudia and Tammy

Big Mother's Day hug

Special card Akins made at school

The school got it right this year and remembered Akins has two Mommies

Our famous Popeye face - Aye Aye

Sexy girls

What is a mother to do when her son is obsessed with pretty women. We are walking through the mall yesterday and stopped at a kiosk which happened to be perfectly placed in front of Victoria Secret. Akins is looking at the poster that covers the entire store front and says "she's hot". Then he proceeds to giggle after determining that she is clothed in "her panties". It's bad enough with the perfume or makeup counters but lingerie - what are we going to do?

Easter Weekend and Coca-Cola Easter Egg Hunt

On Saturday before Easter Coca-Cola (mine and Lorea's employer now) had an Easter Egg Hunt at the adopted park that we care for. People from Coke gathered to clean up the park for the first time this spring and then afterwards the kids got to have some fun. Then on Sunday Grandma came over for Easter dinner and Akins went on the hunt for his Easter basket.

Working hard to help clean up the park

Leave it to Akins to be the kid yankin' on the Coca-Cola Polar Bear's tail

After all the work each child got to plant a sunflower seed

Note the eggs poking out of his pockets

We realized later that some of the eggs weren't cooked all the way! YUCK! Slimey mess

After running all over the house he finally hit pay dirt!

The Easter Bunny included a little hockey game

Jesus and Santa are Brothers

So I come home tonight and Lorea says tell Mommy-O about Jesus and Santa. This is how the conversation had gone earlier. Who knew??

Akins: Jesus and Santa are brothers?
Lorea: I don't know maybe you should ask Ms Misty.
Akins: I will ask Ms Kelly.
Lorea: Why Ms Kelly and not Ms Misty?
Akins: Ms Kelly is my favorite.
Lorea: She is, why?
Akins: Because she gives me food.
Lorea: Why does she give you food?
Akins: So I can not die.