Family Portrait?

Yesterday Jake "thought" he would lay on the couch to take a nap. What he didn't realize is we have this unspoken law, "If one of us is awake... we are ALL awake!" Sorry to crash your nap, but I would do it again in a heart beat :)

Back To School- Part 1

This fall, my big boy will be starting Kindergarten. I have been pumping him up since May about it. We've visited the school, went to a carnival there and I even bought a bunch of books about starting school. Today we bought brand new lunch boxes. Allie will be doing a Kids Day Out program every Friday from 9:30-1:00, so she needed a lunch box for "Lunch Bunch". Unfortunately, I had to inform Owen that his school went from 8:30-11:30 and that he will be eating lunch with mommy and only having milk at school during snack time. In order to keep the peace, they BOTH got to pick out new lunch boxes. Next step, school supplies and back packs!

CANNONBALL!!!

This summer the kids have bloomed in their swimming abilities. Owen can jump off the side of the pool, swim for about 5 feet underwater and touch the bottom of the pool with his hand. Allison, not wanting to be left out, can walk in the 2 foot section unassisted and will go under water with her eyes open and NOT plugging her nose! She's our "little mermaid". They both are summer royalty and the pool is their kingdom!

Natives... and their sleeping habits!

Lately, my kids have been doing some funny things to fall asleep. My son has developed some fears at night, so he builds what he calls "forts". We refer to them as "sweat tents". He covers himself, with either toys or blankets, from head to toe. When we go to check on him, he is dripping sweat and sound asleep. My daughter on the other, will pass out while reading a book in bed. It has become almost a daily routine during nap time. I walk in to check on her 5-10 minutes after tucking her in and the book is either propped open or laying open over her like a blanket. They are so cute with their routines. I can't wait to see how these habits develop over the years!

P.A.R.K.

The other day, we spent the afternoon at "Yellow Park". It always amazes me how much kids love to go to the same places again and again. The interesting thing is the older they get the more adventurous they are. Looking over these pictures makes me think, we might be going to "Yellow Park" tomorrow. Let them be little!

House Guest

Yesterday, my sister brought down a load of her stuff and will be living with us for a while. She has a job and starts tomorrow! All that is left is finding her an apartment... I am confident we'll find one. But until then, we are having a blast! I might get too used to this convenient arrangement. I'm just really lucky to have her as my sister and my kids get to reap the same rewards.

Sweet Harvest

Since I blogged about the first tomato turning, I figured I should post a few pics of us enjoying that very tomato. I am very lucky to have a son, who loves them as much as I do!

Home Grown!

If any of you know me really well, you know that I LOVE tomatoes! I get excited about fresh home grown tomatoes. There is a sweet corn stand down the street from us and I have eagerly been waiting to see if they were going to be adding tomatoes to their merchandise. This summer, my son was watching an infomercial that I'm sure you've all seen. It's the famous "Topsy Turvey". Cut out the back breaking labor and produce huge tomatoes. My son begged me for about a month, before I got online and ordered two of them. Once they arrived we had to buy two plants and all the other good stuff it takes for plants to grow. Unfortunately, one plant died! But the other one is going strong. Now comes my favorite part, yesterday I took a picture of the first tomato to turn. It's only a matter of days before I can enjoy our mighty harvest of one. But that's all it takes. Before I know it, the others will catch up. I love summer! I LOVE TOMATOES!

Thanks Nana!

Several years ago, my wonderful mom had the foresight to buy us a play ground equipment. For a brief time it lived in boxes in my grandma's garage. Then we built our dream house with the best back yard. We could hardly wait for it to be built. (I even planned where I wanted it while the landscaper was plotting the sprinkler system.) This month we will have lived in this house for 2 years, and the kids get just as much use out of it as the first day we got it.

I got to take several pictures of the kids playing on the equipment tonight. My favorite thing is watching them pretend to "fly" in the swings on their bellies. They love it now and will for a long time. Thanks again mom!

(I am posting pictures from the first time they played on it and tonight.)

Memories of a summer evening

Bubbles

Shadows

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Sand

Swings

Cool Breeze

Dancing

Relaxing

Talking

Memories of a summer evening.

Something old, but something new!

Today it was raining, so I took the kids to Exploration Place. We've been there several times. But they love to explore it. The older Allie gets, the more interactive her and Owen are. This time, they were like two peas in a pod. We didn't even go to the Tot Zone! As a bonus surprise, we were greeted by some robotic dinosaurs. Owen was tickled pink! I love that my kids love to learn while they play. I can't wait until next year! We've already started planning some of the weekends in Boston.

Dancing to the beat of my heart

Tonight after bath time, my wonderful children broke into spontaneous dance. They are actually getting quite good at it. It's moments like these that make me thankful.

My turn... to blog about GNO!

Friday night we had a small get together of girls. There were 5 of us and we met at Sumo for dinner around 6:30. Then we went to a bar called "The Brickyard" to hear a band play. It was quite a night! I have learned a lesson, laughed at myself, enjoyed the friendships I have and looked at the pictures that were taken several times. I can't wait for the next GNO, but I'll be a little wiser. I love you guys and I'm glad I went!

Bon Voyage!

Today my baby sister got on a plane and flew to "Cheerio England". She will be there for about a week doing the tour of the "Gems of Great Britain". She is with her best friend. They funny thing is the two of them drove from Manhattan to Wichita and back within about 4 hours... actually the funny thing is they got lost on the way home! Now those two avid travelers are across the ocean, in a foreign country. I sure hope they keep their GPS charged... and take a ton of pictures! We'll see you when your state-side. Be safe and I love you!

Perfect Summer Day

We had a perfect day yesterday! Jake was off, since he had to work all day the previous day. So we decided to spend the day having fun as a family. We got dressed and headed for the zoo. Owen's favorite place on Earth! Then we picked up Subway for lunch and came home for some naps (Allie and Daddy) and some quiet time for the rest of us. Then we went to Bella Luna at Bradley Fair for dinner followed by a stroll to the fountain and a visit with the ducks. Both kids went to bed smoothly and I even got to read a little from a book I've trying to get started. What a perfect day!