Torn Loyalties

Bronson is a huge USC Gamecocks fan but is in the middle of his week at Clemson's baseball camp.

(Around here you are either a Gamecock or a Clemson fan. Nothing else. Right after we moved here that was one of the first questions.......which one were we rooting for.)

He's loving it so far, so apparently he can branch out a little.

While he's been gone all in the mornings it's been an ideal time for me to get some deep cleaning done while Kellyn naps. My mood/patience levels are DIRECTLY related to the house-cleanliness. It's been picked up mostly all summer but the deep clean/de-cluttering has left me....well......with more not-awesome-mom days then others. ;) So what does that mean for the other kids? Well, they're kicked outside.

*We don't always say 'no' to crack*

For the past 2 days they've worked really hard on this mud pile......that they call a their "dam". (that word is repeated so loudly as they're playing over and over again, I can only imagine what someone might think as they walk by! But I've decided not to bring it to their attention.......haha)

I'm sure it makes their muddy lake (once again, please refer to it as a "dam") a LOT better when there are skinny little arms stirring everything around.

And the girls are assigned to bring buckets of water back and forth.

Emerson's job is to FILL said buckets.........and then sometimes squirt his sisters and then plead that is was an accident and he "didn't know" they didn't want to be squirted. He plays the part REALLY well.

My pretty Iris. 

(this endearing smile saves her time after time)

Obviously when Kellyn wakes up we go back to the usual Barbie-playing 

(Iris+Kellyn+Barbies+room w/ door shut= 1 hour of play. Actually its Iris playing make believe w/ herself and she just likes another warm body in the room with her. The truth is, Kellyn just sits there and chews on the legs most of the time.)

and dress-up.

While the boys stay upstairs playing Monopoly. 

(Infact, if I could sum up this summer in one word so far, it WOULD be "Monopoly"!!!!)

Hey, if they're gonna be stuck on a game, mind as well be a game that lasts a few hours, right?