Mischief!

Ellery has always been a little stinker, but recently, she has really outdone herself! 

1. She can be found hiding under things (like the kitchen table) with my bag next to her, and a piece of Orbit chewing gum in her mouth!

2. We constantly find her in the pantry sneaking appetizers before meals! 

3. Yesterday, she created very nice green drawings in marker (washable, thank heavens!) on our sofa and ottoman and chair! (Yes, it came out with my wonderful stain remover we got when we got the furniture!) This literally happened in seconds! And, the last one, happened after she climbed on the stool to get the markers back that had been taken from her and placed on the kitchen countertop! I've really got to be more on top of things!

4. But, today, Ellery REALLY showed off her sneaky talents! Kiran, the daily reporter on Ellery events, yelled while I was in the shower, "Mom, you've got to come see what Ellery is doing!" My response, "Kiran, I can't come right now; I'm in the shower!" Kiran: "But, Mom, Ellery put something in her hair." Me: "Is she doing something dangerous?" Kiran: "Yes! " (Pause) "No, it's not dangerous, but she put some kind of cream in her hair!" Me: "What kind of cream?" Kiran: "I don't know!" Me: "Kiran, did you take away the cream?" Kiran: "Yes!" Me: "Okay, Kiran, please gently take Ellery's hand and bring her into the bathroom." (Screaming) Kiran: "Mom, she won't come!" To which I promptly cut my shower short, grabbed a towel, called for Ellery, saw Ellery and saw Kiran running to me with an open container of none other than  . . . 

Ellery did not want her picture taken! 

A Mom's best first reaction: to laugh uncontrollably! 

By the way, this event took place 45 minutes before the kids' scheduled haircuts! Ellery's haircut will have to wait!

This is after 1 wash with kid's shampoo and 4 washes with Dawn dish soap!

Our funny, greasy little girl! 

And, what a helpful big brother she has! 

Camping at Big South Fork

We had such a great time camping with our friends, John, Dana and Evan this weekend! Our tents were set up right by the river on a sandy beach area. The kids had a blast digging in the sand, burying in the sand, running around in the sand, and rolling in the sand! Needless to say, they were dirty! At one point, Kiran had a sand beard after putting his face in the sand following a sunscreen application. We made yummy hobo stew with beans, potatoes, corn, carrots, and red peppers for dinner Friday night. The next morning, Dana made delicious breakfast burritos! John and Dana have got the camping thing down! They have all of their camping gear ready to go, and we learned a lot from them about how to keep it organized and easy to jump in the car when we need to get away!

Kiran and Evan are big buddies! They play so well together and have a blast! 

Ellery gets right in there with the boys! 

Ellery loves this sweet family and talks about them all the time!

Sam and Jess, John and Dana's dogs, came too! They are great campers and so sweet! 

Mommy and Ellery after a good night's sleep! I was a little concerned about Ellery being able to go to sleep, but she was awesome and didn't wake up once and was the last to wake up Saturday morning! Friday night, we had planned on laying the kids down and then going back to the campfire to visit with John and Dana. But, after helping the kids go to sleep, we fell asleep, too! I do have to say I think I've watched a few too many Criminal Minds episodes because it took me a while to stop my mind from wondering. Finally, after focusing on the sounds of the river and the frogs, I remembered how peaceful it is to be out with nature on a beautiful Spring evening! 

Kiran on the attack again after sleeping all night in the tent! Evan brought water guns, and Kiran played with them most of the time we were on the beach!

Our Saturday morning hike was wonderful! John and Dana knew about a wonderful trail leading to a waterfall. It was perfect for the kids, and even Ellery walked a really long way! 

Ellery jumped right in with the boys making silly faces during the adventure!

Beautiful mountain laurel! 

Our two Great Explorers! 

About the last mile or so, Kiran was tired, too. At one point, I had Ellery on back and Kiran on front hiking!

The Falls!

Mommy needs Mountain Laurel, too! 

I had Ellery in the backpack on our return hike, and suddenly I felt this huge lump on the back of my head! She was out! 

An interesting meeting with nature! The park rangers had told John that the snakes had started coming out and that they do have rattlesnakes and copperheads! Yikes! We saw this 3 foot guy on the trail at the end of our hike, and we saw 2 small water snakes on a tree right by the river at our campsite! 

Our Other Favorite "T" State!

We had a wonderful time in TX in April! First, we stayed with Cookie and Papa then went to Ninny's for Easter, then to Granna and Grandad's - a fun-filled adventure! Thanks to all who let me borrow their cameras or who took pictures for us! Now, we are looking forward to our next visit in just a month!