The weekend is here already???

Well, it's Friday and the weekend is almost here... ALREADY!  I say already because it seems as if the week has just begun.  Being off on Monday must have really thrown my week off.  Anyways, I'm happy that the week has flown by instead of dragging along like it usually does.

Dan has been working days this week which is always an adjustment for the Rhoton's.  The biggest obstacle to figure out is what to do with Remington.  See, usually Remington sleeps all night in bed with me, then when Dan comes home in the morning he sleeps all day in bed with Dan.  Yes, he leads a life of leisure that's for sure.  Anyways, when Dan's schedule switches we crate him during the day and I come home at lunch to let him out to go to the bathroom and have a little play time, then it is back in the crate until 5 o'clock which is when I get home from work usually.  Yesterday was day two of this arrangement for Remington and lets just say my poor boy is sooo depressed.  When I came home to let him out at lunch time, he walked out of his crate, went outside to do his business and then walked right back in his crate.  I tried to get him to play with me or just come out of his crate, but he refused... so I sat there beside his cage for 20 minutes talking to him and loving on him.  I felt awful when I left, because I know he just isn't used to being by himself all day long.  But, what's a Mom to do?  However, when I went to bed last night all was forgiven as you can see :)

Dan has been working days because he has training this week.  He is taking a class over Forensic Interviewing and Interpreting Lies.  I'm sure some of you have heard of the show, Lie to Me, on Fox... that is the stuff he is learning how to do.  Anyways, last night when I got home he was telling me all about this stuff.  It is extremely interesting.  He was showing me how he could tell if I was lying or not.  So first, he asked me a baseline of questions such as, my age, year I was born, date we got married, etc.  Then he started asking me more difficult questions and I was allowed to lie when I wanted.  Just by which way my eyes moved during each question he was able to tell if I was telling the truth or not.  So, when I tell the truth my eyes move up and to the left, but when I lie I look down and to the right.  It is different for everyone, but it is a very accurate science.  Then he put me in a a scenario.  I was a bank teller and I was being interviewed because I was suspected in stealing $50,000 from the bank.  I was able to pick whether I did it or not and just by how I answered the interview questions he gave me he would be able to figure out the truth.  And he got it right!  I didn't rob the bank!  I think it is pretty cool and I can tell that he is really enjoying the training so far.

The forecast for the weekend doesn't look to exciting or busy for us, which I'm glad for!  Tonight, Dan is taking me to see Eclipse!  I'm pretty excited and I can't believe it's been on a whole week and I haven't seen it yet!  And, I can't believe how I ever talked Dan into going with me to see it!  He must be feeling generous :)  On Saturday, I have to get a project done that I have been putting off for school!  I don't think it should take me too long, it's just the fact that I have waited this long to even start on it that makes me a little nervous.  YIKES!  It's also my best friend, Kristin's Birthday on Saturday.  She'll be 26!  Man we are getting old!  Sunday probably won't amount to much, but hopefully it will be a day of relaxation and getting ready for the new week ahead!!!  Maybe I'll have a chance to stop and smell the roses!

Or daisies....

My guilty summer pleasure

Yep, that's right... Big Brother 12 starts tonight and we are soooo EXCITED!  I have been watching the show since I was probably 15 years old or whenever the first one aired.  I have never missed a season and have become increasingly obsessed with it over the years.  When I met Dan 3 years ago I got him started on the show and now he is almost as obsessed as me :)

So here is the point of the show.  They throw 11-12 people from all over the country into a house.  They are not able to have ANY communication with the outside world.  They then have competitions for things such as Power of Veto, Head of Household, Food, etc.  At the end of each week 2 house guests are put up for eviction and one is voted off by the others!  If you make it to the end I think you win like $500,000 or a million dollars!  If you don't watch the show, you may feel a bit lost by my brief description, but let me tell you it's awesome!  It airs Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday nights on CBS!  You should watch it... maybe it will be your guilty pleasure this summer too!

Weddings in the Rain...

Dan's cousin Dawn is getting married this coming weekend on Sunday, July 11th.  She started planning a traditional wedding just like we did, but got so fed up with the process that she decided to have a beach wedding like us.  I'm so excited for her and I'm looking forward to seeing the pictures very much.  I'm sure it will bring back many memories of my special day.  The only problem that they are having is the strong possibility of rain on the day of the wedding in Cocoa Beach.  I've heard from Dawn's Mom (Boo) that she is very worried about that.  That is just one of the many scary things you deal with when planning a destination wedding.  I mean, you are putting your day in the hands of someone else pretty much.  You tell them what you want you big day to be like, pay them the money, and hope they live up to the promises they tell you.  When you have a wedding like this nothing is set in stone.  That can be hard for some people to deal with or a blessing for others (like me) who didn't want to do ANYTHING for the wedding... I just wanted to show up.

When I planned our wedding I didn't even have a back up plan.  I figured if it rained then I would deal with it instead of putting another $200 down to have the wedding in the conference room of the hotel.  BLAH!  I mean you pay like $2,000 for a wedding package on the beach... so why not have your wedding on the beach even if it does rain.  If I were Dawn I would just think to myself... "What would I rather?  Conference room back up area or beach?"  I would vote beach.  I mean, doesn't it sound kind of romantic the thought of getting married in the pouring down rain on the beach?  It reminds me of the movie Sweet Home Alabama in a way.  Anyways, my suggestion to Boo was to buy umbrellas and do what they planned.  I mean they might end up with some awesome pictures!!!

For some reason I just think this picture is sooooo romantic!

Check out these umbrellas!

Of course having your wedding in the rain is not the ideal situation... but if it does happen then grab your umbrellas and try to make the best of it!  No matter what, I'm sure it will be one of the happiest days of Dawn's life.  Dan and I wish her and Joe all the happiness in the world... plus a little bit of sunshine on the day of their wedding :)

Home Sweet Home!

The last day at the lakes was spent relaxing and cleaning up around the lake house.  We aren't that messy, but still we wanted to leave it the way it looked before we came :)  We were sad to go, but ready to get back home!  However, saying goodbye to Elliott and Mallory is hard for me.  I hate that I can't see them everyday and instead have to settle for every 3-4 months.  They will be all grown up before I know it!  Then there will come a time when Aunt Kay and Uncle Dan aren't cool any more :(

Here's me and Remi Bear having one last swing together before we leave :)

The drive was long, but we made it to Greenwood at about 2:30 pm.  It was nice to get home somewhat early in the day so we had a little bit of recovery time.  All three of us took a long nap and then watched a little TV before we headed off to bed.  I know Remington was happy to see that King size bed of ours... two twins pushed together just doesn't cut it for him... HAHA!

The Rhoton twins are doing well.  I think that Matt and Heather are pretty sleep deprived, but they are hanging in there.  The last update I heard was they had to wake the twins up every 3 hours to feed and hold them so they could keep their body temperature up.  Hannah is having a hard time deciding what she thinks about them.  She loves them, but misses her Mom and Dad's undivided attention :)  That is to be expected though :)  Having Pam there is a blessing for them... I'm sure she is a big help.  I know she is happy to be a part of this great adventure they are sharing :)  However, we miss her in Indiana.

Here is Blakely and Max snoozing!  They are as precious as can be!

Busy Weekend at the Lakes

It has been a busy last couple of days.  Elliott and Mallory keep Dan and I so busy.  I love being with them though :)  They make me smile so much.  We have been taking Remington on walks in the morning and evenings, fishing with the kids, going on boat rides together, and jet skiing.  I have really enjoyed myself these past few days.  Below are a few pictures of our excursions :)

Elliott fishing!  I can't get over how much he is growing up :)

Remington and his cousin Buster after a morning walk together.  Don't they look good together.

And then there's Mallory, who really doesn't like Aunt Kay taking her picture... but she tolerates it :)

We will leave to head home tomorrow at around noon I believe.  I'm really glad we got to come and spend time here, but I'm also happy to head home and get back to everyday life... well everyday life minus work... I'm not ready to go back there :)

Anyways, I hope that everyone had a Happy 4th of July!  I know that we did! 

4th of July "early" celebration

Yesterday was quite eventful.  Most of the day was spent playing with Elliott and Mallory.  Really, what are Aunts and Uncles for?  Elliott is now attached to his Uncle Dan at the hip.  Every time Uncle Dan is not around it is... "Where's Uncle Dan? What way did Uncle Dan go? Can I see if I can find Uncle Dan?"  He pays me no attention :(  Well, a little bit :)

Remington has been doing well with the kiddos.  For never being around kids I'm pretty impressed with him.  We did have a bit of a "incident" happen yesterday.  Mallory was walking all over Remington and was in "his" space" and he took a little snap at her.  He didn't get her or anything, just showed her she was being a little bit too much for him.  He got in BIG trouble from us however.  I don't care what she does to him... snapping and biting is unacceptable behavior as far as I'm concerned.  Mallory is used to Buster (her dog) and her being able to do whatever she wants with him... but poor Remington just doesn't understand what kids are all about :)  Hopefully this is good practice for him.

Last night was the fireworks here at the lakes.  Ali had a party over at her house.  She had wonderful food and drinks there!  It was really nice.  It is so fun for me to be in a big family type atmosphere since I'm use to a very small family.  It is also so fun to see the kids and how excited they are.

Here's Dan with his buddy Elliott!  Aren't they sweet together :)

And Mallory in all her glory :)

Here she is eating again :)  Ali says she would eat all day long if she could!

And here's Dan and I!  Two years ago today he asked me to marry him.  The best decision I've ever made.

We made it!

Once I was home from work on Wednesday it was rush, rush, rush.  Dan wanted to get on the road.  I can't say that I blame him, but I still needed to get mine and Remington's things together for the trip.  As we started laying out our packed bags in the kitchen, Remington politely reminded us by laying down beside the luggage...

"Guys, don't forget to take me with you!"

Of course we wouldn't forget him... he comes with us on all our trips.  Except we did have to leave him behind for the Arizona trip as well as our honeymoon, but other than that he's always our co-pilot!  When the bags start to get packed up, he starts to get excited because he knows that fun is in store for him!!!  I must say, I wouldn't have it any other way!

We arrived at the lakes at 8:30 on Wednesday evening.  Bruce (Dan's Dad) was happy to see us I think. He has been by himself for 2 weeks now since Dan's Mom flew out to AZ to help with the twins for the summer.  I know he is a bit lonely.  We just sat around and talked until 11 at night since we hadn't seen each other for a while.

Today, we were up early.  Dan and Bruce went golfing while I stayed behind with Ali, Elliott and Mallory.  We took a really long early morning walk with both dogs and the kids in tow.  I was super impressed with Elliott because he walked the whole way all by himself without too much complaining about being tired.  It was a really long walk too!  When we got back home, Elliott wanted to play soccer.  He has a little goal and ball set up in his front yard.  We played out there for probably an hour together.  He is so funny and sweet.  If I have a child half as wonderful as him, I'll be happy :)  By the time Mallory and Elliott were ready for their naps, Dan and Bruce were back from golfing.  The three of us had lunch together which was nice.  Later in the evening, after the kids were done with their naps, it was back outside where Dan, Elliott and I played golf, badmitton, and soccer for like 2 hours!  PHEW!  It is hard keeping up with Elliott.  Soon it was time for dinner.  Dan and I made corn on the cob, and we had BELTS... bacon, eggs, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches.  Everything was really good.  Elliott wanted to put up some lights for the 4th of July party Ali and Bryce are having tomorrow so he got that all finished before he went to bed.  It was a busy day for me and the kids :)

Here is a picture of Elliott's handy work!  He was very proud of it!

Looks like it's going to be another beautiful 4th of July at Buckeye Lake!