Take me out to the ball game!

We ventured to Dallas a couple weekends ago to meet up with my brother Cory's family and my dad. Grandpa had the great idea to go to a Texas Rangers baseball game and the kids were in heaven!

Here's grandpa with 4 of his grandkids plus my cousin's little cutie, Brock.
Our latest family portrait: (if you enlarge this photo you'll see that Caleb has a fist-full of m&ms and chocolate smeared all over his lips)
My conservative estimate is that Caleb consumed in excess of 200 m&ms during the game. Every time we turned around he had another cup of those things.
Occasionally, he would take a break from m&ms and munch on some very nutritious oreos. At least he was willing to share those.
By the end of the night he had food coloring all over his shirt and was soaking wet from Ginger Ale (hence the bare chest). And yet, the m&m consumption continued...who are his parents, anyway???Daddy and Caleb outside Rangers stadium:
It was a great weekend in Dallas. We sure love our Costley cousins!

A fun, hot summer!

What a summer it's been! Caleb and I fled west for a month trying to escape the sweltering heat and humidity that abounds in Louisiana this time of year. We spent the first couple of weeks taking care of 2 of Caleb's cousins while their mom (my sister) was on a trip. Thanks to aunts Caitlyn and Ali we all had a blast and enjoyed our quality time together.

Here's my little posse:
Highlights included:

*a trip to the trout farm with Grandpa Costley where Caleb caught his first fish (despite the seeming lack of interest conveyed by the sucking of his thumb he was actually quite the fisherman:)
*a quick trip to Palo Alto to see friends which included a visit with Clarence, Jim and their adorable puppy, Friday
*some time at Bear Lake to play in the sand and splash in the water and best of all, ride in the truck with Grandma Costley
*lots of cuddle time with Grandpa Costley
*getting makeovers from aunt Caitlyn
*Lots of cousin bonding

Unfortunately, when we arrived back in Shreveport, the heat had not subsided one bit so we've taken to afternoons lounging in our very spacious backyard pool.

No heat could make life too miserable when I get to see this face everyday, though:)

I love my mail man

As the temperature climbs steadily here in good ol' Louisiana (and the size of my belly increases) Caleb and I make fewer and fewer trips outside of our air conditioned home. One outing we strive to preserve, however, is to the mailbox each day (which is only at the end of our driveway but it's about as far as I'm willing to go before a glass of ice-water and elevated foot position is required). He likes to gear up with his sunglasses and then push his mail car down the driveway.
Once the mail is retrieved, he climbs in the car and "drives" back to the garage.

Who wouldn't love to have their mail delivered by this handsome guy?

On occasion, after the mail is unloaded he zips back down the driveway for a stroll. He might be small, but he can get his legs a movin'. Here is Speedy Gonzales in action.

Another birthday, a new decade of life

My 30th birthday started off with a surprise message from the birthday fairy spelled out in peanut butter M&Ms, which are, in Caleb's words, "nummy!"
Then it was off to the blueberry patch. We wised up from last year and went early in the morning so as not to completely overheat. Caleb did a little bit of picking, but his skill set is more conducive to eating blueberries and whacking the trees with large branches.
I, too, ate my fair share of berries while David did most of the picking. Fortunately, the farm has these great bucket harnesses that position the bucket perfectly in case one's water was to break while picking berries:)
Here's farmer Dave and his trusty side kick
This sign at the berry sorting station said, "Any unattended children will be served an espresso and given a free puppy!" Fortunately, we made it out of there without either of those things.
After a relaxing afternoon, David and I went out on a nice date consisting of dinner and a movie. These flowers were actually from a friend, but David wasn't opposed to making it look like he gave them to me.
Now it's time to tackle a brand new decade!

Ludlow Landscaping & Concrete, LLC

Available for hire: Ludlow Landscaping & Concrete. We provide excellent service for all of your landscaping and concrete needs.

*Need 6 cubic yards of sand, top soil and mulch delivered to your driveway? No problem!

*Ugly flower beds? No problem!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

*Uneven grass that needs to be filled in with river sand, reseeded and then rolled? No problem!
*Need 8,000 pounds of concrete bags and a gas-powered cement mixer delivered to your backyard to pour a new patio? No problem!

Don't be alarmed when we pull up to your work site in a Ford Focus sedan. We specialize in fitting large objects into very small spaces as illustrated by these photos of a lawn roller and wheelbarrow snugly positioned in the backseat.
Disclaimer: Our employees include one pregnant woman who frequently disappears without warning into any available air conditioned space when she senses her core temperature reaching dangerous levels

and one worker under 2 feet tall who is powered by continuous consumption of slurpees, requires frequent swinging breaks, and constant access to a spray bottle.
However, our third employee works non-stop until the job is done without complaint which makes up for the lack of productivity from the other two employees.

Call today for a free quote:)