The Fam Goes Walking . . .

A quiet Sunday stroll {after dinner on the deck} captured by one Dragonfly who really didn't want her behind in the photo.

Beach Family Photo . . .

Two family photos from our excursion to the beach! I have only two things to say:

1. Maternity swimwear is made of a lot of fabric.
2. If RedDog smiled any harder, his face would have cracked.

Castles Fit For A Queen . . .

{This cool Queen is serious about her castle building!}

In annual Bethany Beach tradition, we hit the beach on an overcast day and applied our greater architectural knowledge to the construction of splendid sand castles subject to viewing of and consequent judging by innocent passersby.

Castle Idol is serious business in these parts. There are titles to defend and creativity is key. Our friends the Knolls brought their "A Game" this year and even went as far as to do some internet research before joining the friendly competition. Unfortunately, Team Carlson (Photobro and I) was not to be this year. I couldn't manage to reach over my belly to do the serious work required to build a grand structure, so my bro was on his own. {Really it was all a strategy to make the Knolls feel better about last year's defeat.}

Some photos from the day, as well as a declared winner:

Preplanning and strategizing by Team Lee.

Good idea Hubby: Make the kid do the digging!

With this boy on my team I could win due to sheer cuteness.

Hey Hubby - whatcha building?

Most creative use of shells!

Nice elevation Photobro! Come find me next year.

My meager contribution: The iCastle {and though I didn't win, I did take great comfort in the fact that many a tween and teen stopped to admire my tech savvy sand creation}.

And the winner is {based on number of pictures taken by passersby}:

Castle Shrekenstein by the Knoll fam. Way to go guys! It was awesome.

So Much Fun, So Little Time . . .

Have you ever given your kids a cardboard box and watched in amazement as they played with it for days {even weeks} on end as if it were the world's most complicated, expensive and wonderful toy ever? Yeah, that's pretty much how I feel about the beach.

The combination of sun, sand, water, family, food and the occasional marine animal life is all my kids need for an unlimited amount of entertainment and contentment. I always think they'll get tired of digging holes to China - but they NEVER do. I am convinced they can't continue to scream and jump over every wave that comes their way for four hours- but they keep on jumping and screaming until their voices are hoarse. The beach changes my children from whiny and arguing to joyous and getting along. It is a magical place.

Here are some of the RedDog's favorite adventures from the beach this weekend:

Flying a kite with Grammy {aka: The Queen}

Building sandcastles

Searching for - and finding - sand crabs!

Eating!

Finding cool rocks to add to his collection.

{while getting 23.4 new freckles}

Stay tuned for more beach trip highlights the rest of this week.

Coincidence? Nope.

Today is a unique and remarkable day! It is one of five days a year when two of our family members share a birthday. That might sound like coincidence, but I don't think it is. I say that because when takinge a closer look at the pairings of individuals who were born on the same day, it's clear to me that these duos were meant to have this special bond.

Take these gals, for instance.

They are two of my dearly treasured sisters, Melissa and Audrey, and today is their day. I love these women fiercely. They are talented, funny, sassy {hello leopard purse and oversized shades}, good listeners, devoted wives & mothers, and true and constant friends.

My relationship with each of them grows in ways I never imagined as we spend more time together and I find great joy in having them in my life. For a girl who grew up not knowing what it was like to have a sister, I have been overly blessed as an adult.

Happy Birthday, Sisters!

A Departure From The Norm . . .

Because I am the Meanest Mom on the Planet, a usual meal at my house includes a hearty helping of fruit, a fresh vegetable, a whole grain, some sort of lean protein and a glass of water or milk. My kids sack lunches are never coveted by other children at school and dessert is a once-a-week {maybe} privilege which could include a whole fruit popsicle, a sugar free Jell-o pudding snack or a fresh fruit smoothie. Mean. Oh so mean.

Now take a look at a good portion of my grocery haul from yesterday. As you can see, I have entered a parallel reality and given in to pure, unadulterated JUNK. This junk will join my family once again this year for our annual Memorial Day trip to Bethany Beach.

Why all the junk? It has a lot to do with making this tradition of going to the beach an awesome memory for the kids. Bedtimes are pushed back, games a plenty are played, laughter abounds, and we let our kids eat all the cruddy junk their hearts desire {okay, I stopped short of buying the "Cookie Crisp"}. Usually they're dying to get in bed early at night after playing in the sun all day and the inevitable belly ache teaches a lesson so I don't have to: eating nothing but junk makes you feel junky. Still - it's fun for me to watch the RedDog marvel at the marshmallows in his Lucky Charms, to see Big C figure out how best to cook "this thing called a Pop-Tart" and to laugh at Hannie B licking her orange Chee-toh fingers.

And of course, it's back to reality {with vegetables} on Tuesday!

Happy Memorial Day to you all.

Planning Ahead . . .

{baby announcement via Paper Culture}

It was love at first sight. Sure, the baby in the picture is sorta cute, but that's not what I'm talking about. I might have to sell one of my vital organs to raise some funds because I absolutely adore these baby announcements and think they could be a key to ensuring my long term happiness.

Besides, can you think of a better way to welcome a Dragonfly baby into the world? Me either. Do me a favor and leave a comment to the Hubby about how important it is for me to have these announcements. Thanks!

{Even though I'm being dramatic for blogging humor's sake, I really do think I must have them.}

Self Portrait . . .

Just in case you're wondering . . . I've officially moved from swallowing a volleyball to swallowing a basketball.

Now I challenge any of you reading this to take a self portrait and put it up on your blog. I want to see my friends and they say you should always give a pregnant lady what she wants.

What are you waiting for?

They Should Be Paying Me . . .

Since I feel strangely compelled to do free advertising for just about anything related to Stephenie Meyer's Twilight saga, I think it's about time I got paid some royalty fees, don't you? Okay, that's not going to happen. What is going to happen, however, is the movie New Moon. It's coming out in November, which will be just about the time I'm able to emerge from my baby induced, sleep deprived coma, come to grips with my new life and leave my baby for two hours to catch a good chick flick.

After seeing this new poster for the movie, I'm thinking werewolves have never looked so good. Who's in?

A Last Minute Gift . . .

My friend Angela's birthday was on Saturday. For the first time in three years, I was not able to take her a bouquet of flowers from my garden because cooler temperatures mean nothing is in bloom yet. I gave her a rain check on the flowers, but in the meantime needed a quick little something to take to her and another friend as we celebrated their birthdays with lunch yesterday.

I grabbed my trusty pot of Modge Podge, my stash of scrapbook paper, some scissors and a few new notebooks, put on the Twilight soundtrack and went to work creating one-of-a-kind personalized sets for these two friends who are both chronic list makers {aka: kindred spirits}.

Here's the finished result, which only took one hour to make and most of that was me waiting impatiently for Modge Podge to dry. Total cost per set was $0.00, because I had all supplies on hand, but if I had to remember prices, I'd say each set was under $3.00.

Happy Birthday dear friends! And happy list making . . . such joy!

Pass It On . . .

I love the idea of passing down something that all my children will have shared in their infancy. The very thought satisfies my need for nostalgia, tradition and history.

Twelve years ago one of the Queen's dearest friends sewed a blessing gown for us from the same fabric she used to make my beloved wedding dress. My original plan was to have all my children blessed in that dress. Unfortunately, the Hubby put the kibosh on that idea after enduring only one blessing day with Big C in a dress - never mind that many an historical male figure have been blessed or christened in intricate, beautiful dresses. Thus, Hannie B wore the dress and RedDog did not. It has been made very clear to me that the son in my womb will also NOT wear the dress.

My next plan was to have all our children sleep in the same crib - the very crib the Hubby and I in our naive soon-to-be first time parent state agonized over purchasing and built together while managing to only have one fight. Alas, a month ago I assembled the crib by myself and promptly broke it upon finishing the job. Apparently five years in storage made some of the parts brittle and useless . . . my child bearing body can relate!

I'd love to pass on a cherished blanket, but as noted in a previous post, blankets become individual safe havens to my kids and cannot be shared.

So, now I am down to this - a classic sterling silver baby rattle that was a gift from dear family friends Mike and Eleanor upon the birth of Big C. This rattle has been dented by tiny but strong jaws and pock marked by new baby teeth. It has had the drool of all three of my children covering it. It is as fascinating to the kids today as it was when they were babies. They love to use it as a dumbbell when playing make believe with their multitudes of muscular stuffed animals.

Yesterday I commandeered the rattled, gave it a good shine and put it away for baby #4. Maybe when he's done with it I will have it framed. Or maybe it will go to a grandchild someday. All I know is that I'm deliriously happy that one more set of dimpled hands and rubber band wrists will grasp this metal rattle and joy in the noise it makes.

Sunday @ 1:00 . . .

Everyone showered and dressed for church - check. A gourmet lunch of sandwiches, bananas, string cheese and milk ready to eat - check. Three freckle faced children seated and impatiently waiting to pray over their food - check. One pregnant mom with a rumbling hungry stomach - check. And a Hubby who is way too excited about his turkey and avocado on wheat - check.

Now you know what 1:00 on a Sunday afternoon looks like at our house.

(Please click on photo to get a close-up of the Hubby's insane face. Trust me, you'll enjoy it.)

Not For Lightweights . . .

(Disclaimer: This post is in NO WAY meant to solicit comments about my current weight or what I look like 7 1/2 months pregnant. I'm currently feeling really good about those things.) I had an epiphany the other day while I was at the local rec center pool, where in an attempt to exercise, I was placing altered body into the warm water for a half hour of gentle swimming. In my black one piece maternity tank suit - not even rankable on the fashion spectrum - I fondly thought of myself much like a killer whale. There was just something about the way the water glided around the suit creating an ebony shine as it stretched tightly over my big belly.

Swimming felt completely theraputic and for a full half hour I was weightless and free, completely forgetting the additional twenty-some-odd pounds I am carrying as I grow a child in my womb. After endless nights of uncomfortable sleep and long days with back aches, being in the water brought relief to this body that currently seems so foreign to me.

The whole time I was swimming I thought about those whales - actual mammoths of the animal kingdom - who spend their days moving around in the water just like I was (albeit more gracefully than I was). Suddenly it donned on me that killer whales have absolutely no idea how heavy and ginormous they are! They are completely oblivious. And I'm really happy about it too, because I'm sure it's the only reason they are able to do this:

Can you think of any other explanation for something weighing 9 TONS to be that far out of the water? Meanwhile, it took me three, YES THREE, tries to heft my pregnant body out of the pool when I was done with my little swim. Okay, so maybe I'm not "killer" yet - just a whale, but I'm headed back to the pool again today nevertheless.

How To Sucker Your Nephews Into Believing You're The World's Coolest Aunt In Under Twenty-Four Hours . . .

1. Begin the day by feeding them a huge pancake breakfast (with extra butter) followed by unlimited Lego building in the basement.

2. Make a picnic lunch for them under the umbrella on your deck. Be sure it includes greasy (but delicious) chips. Indoctrinate your nephew into finally trying - and loving - ORANGE SODA.

3. Take them to do fun and unusual things, like feeding a cute goose couple and their baby goslings.

4. As you drive by Dunkin' Donuts declare, "Man I think you guys really need a donut!" - just because that's what cool aunts do.

5. Give in to their earnest pleas for the opportunity to finally have a pet by purchasing a fish for them WITHOUT getting permission from their parents.

6. Hook the fish up with a cush pad of its own and then encourage the nephews to keep it a secret when their parents walk in the door from a grueling 100 mile bike race. Enjoy watching as giggling and secret telling ensues.

Congratulations! You are now the coolest Aunt on the planet. Job well done!

Of Funerals and Fish . . .

A few years ago the Hubby and I were faced with the question "What to do about the childhood need to love and rear a pet, learning compassion and responsibility while building a nurturing relationship with God's animal creations?"

Since multiple family members have pet allergies, dogs, cats and pretty much anything else with fur was out of the question. We considered a turtle or lizard for about two seconds, and then settled on a beta fish for each child. I know, I know - it's not a true pet experience, but it's what we can do. (We also have dogs vicariously through our dog owning friends and neighbors.) So for one year now we have successfully cared for the fish - a very rewarding experience for the kids and their parents who do most of the work.

Unfortunately, this weekend we had our first pet casualty. When I went to feed RedDog's fish (aptly named Red) on Friday night, I found him floating at the top of the tank. Lucky for me RedDog was happily playing with his cousin downstairs. Unlucky for me, the Hubby was out of town for his 100 mile bike race, so I was left to handle the remains, funeral and breaking the news to the child by myself.

I told him while we were snuggling in bed that night. He was very sad and concerned that he had somehow caused Red's demise. I assured him that the fish had probably just gotten sick and couldn't fight it.

We decided to bury Red instead of flushing him. Hannie B helped RedDog create a little rock headstone and the next day we held a little funeral for our fish in our back yard. RedDog was the sole speaker. He had few, but sweet tributary words in parting - "Red, you were my fish. You made me happy sometimes. That's all." In a sweet big sister moment, Hannie B decorated the grave with some flowers from our yard.

Then we headed to Petsmart and bought RedDog a new red fish, which he quickly named Red Too. That night when we knelt to say prayers together, he asked Heavenly Father to "please take care of my fish Red".

From this experience I learned that having pets has indeed been successful for us - if that fish made my boy "happy sometimes" and he acknowledged God's part in it all, then it's definitely worth it!

RedDog's new fish "Red Too"