Pee Break

My boys think it is the greatest thing to pee outside. Took a bit to teach this one that you didn't just do it anywhere at anytime. Let's just say we've had a few embarrasing moments.

Dragons and Princesses

Storytime. Chloe requested a princess story ... as usual. The boys were okay with that as long as there was a dragon (pictured above). :o)
Joel was quite into the story.

Of course the prince saved the princess and they danced off into the sunset....

after a kiss.

Chloe taking a bow while her brothers hollered their "bravos."

Camping and 'Mellows

Joey had promised the boys that they could have a campout night for their birthdays, and Labor Day weekend was our first chance. (This is looking down on our backyard from our deck.)

The kids went "exploring" with their flashlights.

Perfectly roasted marshmellow number....

The evening was enjoyed by all. :o)

Joel's 4th Birthday

Pizza and pretzels with the cousins.
Enjoying the new toys. Sophie's expression totally cracks me up!

Aunt Kristy opening the gifts that are practically "open proof"

My second cake. It was harder than Ethan's, but I enjoyed doing it.

This little guy's smile was my reward.

First Day of School

Ethan counted down the days for weeks til the first day of school. I think it helped me a lot that he was so excited, but I still shed a few tears after I dropped him off the first day. He seems to be doing really well, and actually got student of the week his second week of school for friendliness. :o)

I think this was half smile, half yawn. If you look close you can see that his cheek is still rosy from sleeping. He's the only morning person in the family so this hasn't gone too bad for him as long as he is in bed by 8:30. One night we had company and it was about 10 when he got to bed. The next morning I patted him and said, "Ethan, it's time to get up and get ready for school..." He rolled over and groaned and said, "Why do you keep saying that?!?" :o)

Pedi's!!

We try to have a girl's night out for each of our birthdays in the Ratcliff fam. My sister-in-law, Kristy, had a birthday last month and wanted to do pedicures for her night out. I had NO problem with that. We had a great time together, and by the end of the night had released endless amounts of endorphins.

Ethan's Five!!

We had his birthday party at Grammy and Poopa's house this year. He got some really fun stuff!

This was my first attempt at ever decorating a cake. Nowhere near perfection, but he loved it. Guess that's what counts.

Gotta love the camera that waits til after the candles are blown out to actually take the pic.

Things That Happened During our Many Months Without Internet

We went to KS for Easter to see our fam. This is the only pic I was able to take before my batteries died...thus the reason nobody is looking. They are with my sister's son, Trevor.

Some of our cousins had just moved to a farm nearby, and the kids got to feed their baby goats. They absolutely loved it!

Mother's Day wouldn't be the same without some silly faces...