Adventures in Skating

The boys have been asking me FOREVER to take them to the skating rink. I've put it off because, let's be honest, the people who regularly visit skating rinks SCARE ME! Anyway since it was a Friday afternoon, I thought it would be safe. The boys had me cracking up---they were hugging the walls all the way around the rink! I thought for sure I was heading to the emergency room. Callie even skated for a little while. She held my hands as I guided her around. I think my favorite part was watching the boys and Callie do "The Chicken Dance" on skates--it was priceless!

I'm Such a SUCKER!

Yes, I can't believe it either, but we have a new addition to our crew. This is basically how the story goes:

Chad saw a sign reading "FREE DOGS!",

I reply, "Oh, that would be nice to get Callie her own dog since she loves them so much!"
Chad swears he heard, "Go find Callie a dog A.S.A.P!"
TWO DAYS LATER. . .
Chad contacts a friend who is getting rid of a one year old Bichon Frise.

Chad comes home with Max!

Dinner Date

Last night, Julie and Tory watched the kids so Chad and I could have a night out. We went to dinner at The Melting Pot in New Orleans and it was incredible! It really was a cool experience, and we had so much fun cooking in our fondue pot and sipping wine (OK. . a little more than a sip!) After dinner, we met up with some friends who were celebrating yet another birthday! We didn't get home until 2 a.m. (I'm definitely getting too old for that) and enjoyed sleeping in today.

Thanks Julie and Tory for the restaurant recommendation and watching the gang---we had a great night out!

A Day at the Movies

Yesterday, I took my crew and Nathan and Sadie to see Fantastic Four Rise of the Silver Surfer. I hadn't been to the Grand in Slidell yet and it was very nice. The reclining seats were awesome and it was great that I didn't have to worry about people sitting in front of us. We all had a clear view of the screen. It ended up being a nice afternoon for us.

Happy Father's Day!

We spent Father's Day at Mom and Dad's. All the Dad's enjoyed a nice round AND A HALF of golf at Money Hill and the mom's lounged around the pool with the kids. Later, we enjoyed one of Mom's finest meals--shrimp and sausage linguine with Italian broccoli--so yummy! After lunch, we sang "Happy Birthday" to Uncle Tory who is celebrating his 33rd birthday!

Happy Father's Day to all the dad's and especially my dad, PAW PAW (LUCKY)--I hope you enjoyed your day with your crazy family!

A very special Father's Day greeting goes out to our BIG DADDY! We all love you very much and appreciate everything you do for our family.

Gulfshores Vacation

We just returned from an awesome vacation in Gulfshores. Before we left, we had a mini-celebration of Chad's 33rd birthday at the house, then the next morning we left for the beach! Our first night there, we grilled steaks by the pool and sang "Happy Birthday" to Chad. The next day we played at the beach--the water was beautiful and the boys had a great time riding their boogie boards! Then on Saturday, we celebrated my mom's birthday with an incredible brisket that Lindsey made. Sunday and Monday were again spent at the beach and pool. All of the kids had a blast collecting seashells, riding waves, playing in the sand and IF YOU CAN BELIEVE IT --No Nintendos or Playstations were needed for entertainment! It was a great trip and now that my kids are finally older and more independent, I'm ready for a longer stay at the beach!

Some Things Never Change

Due to all the wet weather we had this week, Mace and Jake asked me to set up a fort in their room. It reminded me of the days when me and my sisters would set up forts on rainy summer days. And yes, the procedure is just the same:

Mom spends an hour setting up the fort,

Kids play in fort for 15 minutes,

Kids start fighting,

Fort comes crashing down!

Party Crasher

Today we celebrated my niece, Jalyn's 6th birthday. I'm pretty sure the kids had fun but the best part of the day was my sister Michele's participation in the party events. (Personally, I think she was still drunk from the night before see McCarthy Blog!) Anyway, you will notice in the pictures that Michele was in line for Pin the Tail on the Donkey, knocked a few kids over when the pinata busted and strolled down the street for wagon rides. And of course she did all this in style---wearing a princess hat!

Visit with Friends

Last night we traveled to Lacombe to visit with my friends and their families. It was so good to see everyone again. Here's a little update on our gang-
The Lairds (Christy): The Lairds have moved back to Slidell and are living above the Old Slidell Cleaners next to the Soda Shop. Reagan looks (and acts) like Christy and Tatum is a little Daddy's girl.
The Weavers (Bridget): The Weavers still live in Lacombe but are looking to build in Abita Springs. Drew is playing TBall and little Charley is ADORABLE--I can't believe she is already 7 months old!
The Trainors (Natalie): The Trainors still live in Mandeville and Anna is beautiful. She looks just like Natalie but unfortunately acts just like her daddy! They are expecting their second child in 8 weeks.
The Rieckes (Tracy): Well, I guess we'll have to change the family name because Tracy and Kevin announced they are engaged. They are living together in Covington with all 5 kids! Katherine and Lauren are still dancing and very active (especially Lauren!) Congrats to Tracy!
The Mitts (Andy): Andy and Janette visited shortly with their new baby boy, Patrick. He is battling colic right now, but the new parents seem to be handling it well.

It was a great night filled with swimming and food. I always like to hang out with the ol' crew and see how much everyone has grown.

School's Out for SUMMER!

This week I ended another school year, I had a pretty good group of kids this year and I will miss them. I can't help but get attached so that's why I'm always a little thankful that their behavior is so bad at the end of the year--it makes it easier to say goodbye!

BooBoo Graduated!

Last night we went out to dinner at Sal & Judy's to celebrate Julie's graduation! The meal was INCREDIBLE! (Actually I'm proud of us for showing our best manners by not licking the Nikki Sauce off the plates!) As most of you know, we 'hillbillies' don't have an abundance of fine restaurants, so the dinner was a very nice treat for us! By the way, you can tell that the Perilloux Girls still think alike----we all showed up in matching outfits--that was too funny! Thank you Mom and Dad for a wonderful dinner and a fun evening! (Who's a Big Boy?)

Congrats to BooBoo --welcome to the working world!

White Flag

Mother's Day

My Mother's Day started off with breakfast in bed and a gift certificate for a car detailing. (If any of you have seen my 'Pantry on Wheels' you know I desperately need it!) Then we headed to Nana's to eat crawfish. The weather was hot and sunny for most of the day so the kids had a blast swimming in the pool. I spent the day relaxing and tanning by the pool. The kids and Chad pampered me all day long and we all had a wonderful day.

Thank God for Hot Days in the Pool

Sleepover

We had Jay and Rylie sleepover so Julie could enjoy a girls' weekend on the coast. Here's a few pics I captured of the girls.

20 Days to Go!

This week, my sixth graders went on their end of the year field trip. We went to see a play in Covington then ate lunch in the park. It was exhausting but I think the kids had fun. As you can tell from the picture, I am very grateful there are only 20 days left of school!

Before & After

Kitchen Pictures