Not Impressed

Here lately the boys feel the need to constantly be all over the cat; petting him, carrying him around, pulling his tail, batting at his paws, etc. Odie is pretty patient with them, but he also lets them know when he has had quite enough of the "loving".

Kaleb has taken to building Odie his own house using the ottoman and pillows. I tell him that I don't think Odie really needs his own house, but Kaleb insists that he does and that he likes it. He starts out building the sides, and the carries Odie over and ever so gently places him inside the house, and then puts a roof on it. Kaleb is always very proud of his houses and lets you know that Odie loves his house. I'll let you judge how much Odie loves his house, I'm pretty sure he is not as impressed as Kaleb is.

The master builder at work.

Odie already inside his house, waiting for the finishing touches.

The pleased homeowner, enjoying his peace and quiet.

Here's wishing you time to do nice things for others, whether they appreciate it or not.

Oh, Back to School, Back to School

The boys are both now officially in school. Amazing how fast time has gone by, my little guys are now in 1st Grade and Pre-K.

Here's wishing you lots of learning and fun with new friends this school year!

Swimming Lessons

It truly is amazing the difference a week of swimming lessons can make. We went from one Sunday neither boy would jump off the top step of the ladder because they didn't want to get their faces wet, to the next Sunday jumping off the deck and diving under the water to retrieve toys.

Many thanks to my good friend Annette for teaching them. They are completely different boys in the pool now. Everyday they can't wait to head out to grandma and grandpa's to go swimming and it is becoming increasingly difficult to convince them to get out of the water.

Julian getting dive sticks off the bottom of the pool.

Julian jumping in.

Kaleb bobbing under water.

Kaleb showing off his backstroke.

 Here's wishing you a fun way to cool off this HOT summer!

Off the Grid

This past weekend was dubbed "Off the Grid 2012", aka our annual trip to The Country Cabins in Hiawatha. (See last year's post here.) We were hardly off the grid, but it is so nice to get away for a couple of days and relax with friends, and kids really look forward to getting to spend a couple of days with their friends too.

It was really amazing that somehow we had gorgeous weather too. Highs in the upper 80's to low 90's instead of the 105 to 110 degree days that have become the norm here lately. We were able to spend a lot of time outside and even got to enjoy some yummy ice cream cake to celebrate Grace's birthday.

These guys are pretty serious when it comes to playing washers. They get right in there with the big boys and they mean business. Amazing how fast time flies, here in a little over a week we will have a 1st Grader and a Pre-schooler on our hands.

Here's wishing you time to slow down and get away from it all, even if only for a couple of days.

Summer Reading

The boys have been participating in the Half Price Books Summer Reading Program over the last couple of months. They completed their June reading logs and are working on July. They just have to read (or be read to) for at least 15 minutes each day and turn in their reading log at the end of the month. In return they get a $5 gift certificate to use for a new book. They were so excited to turn in their June reading logs and get to shopping for a new book to take home.

Julian chose Cars: Out For A Spin, a book with magnets that attach to the pages to make the story interactive.

Kaleb chose Don't Tickle the Duck, which has touch and feel pages.

And what kind of touch and feel book would be complete without a hairy duck armpit to tickle?

They can't wait to go back in at the end of the month to get another $5 to spend on another new book.




Here's wishing you a chance to take some time to escape into a book of your own.

4th of July 2012

I know I'm running a little behind, but that's how we roll around here. For your enjoyment, below are some pictures from the 4th of July this year.

**Disclaimer:  Yes, we are those parents that let their 6 and 4 year olds light firecrackers. They get to do the little sidewalk ones and parachutes, and one of us is always right next to them. They need to learn how to do things like this safely and correctly and learn to respect the fact that they are indeed playing with fire and you have to be careful.**

Julian lights his racecar monkey.

BANG!

Kaleb lighting his racecare monkey.

Aren't they cute little guys?

Best seats around, in the back of grandpa's truck.

 Here's wishing you time to enjoy the bright lights and truly enjoy the freedoms we have everyday!

Make a SPLASH!

What better way to celebrate a summer birthday than with a water party. For his birthday this year Julian invited a few school friends over for the afternoon to enjoy cool treats and lots and lots of water.

Pre-party line-up

Handmade invitations were sent out to spread the word.

Blue jello cups and swedish fish along with a heaping bowl of goldfish crackers filled the snack table. We also had popsicles later on as a break from the water festivities.

Julian and Kaleb decorated the Thank You/Treat Bags, and guests also got to take home the water squirter they picked out to play with outside.

Two tubs of water balloons were gone in about 10 minutes flat and the big tubs of water for the squirters were refilled numerous times. Since the temperature was a slightly balmy 106 degrees that day Daddy brought home a 40 bag of ice from work to add to the water tubs, the water was nice and chilly for the kids. I don't think they noticed the heat outside or the ice cold water they were shooting at each other, they all had a blast!

Here's wishing you time to cool off and chill out with your favorite buddies!