What Would We Do Without the Pool?

We certainly wouldn't be able to have as many fun play dates as we've enjoyed this summer:

Bestest of friends

Pardon Me While I Catch My Breath

These last few days have been a blur as the kids and I have run around trying to check off a number of things on our Summer Fun list as the end of summer breathes down our necks.  This week so far has had two pool play dates, with friends we haven't seen yet this summer, a trip to the Hammond's Candy Factory for a tour, samples, and purchases (of course!), and then the aquarium. 

Whew.

It's been a little exhausting.

Even The Little Man is pooped.  He was asleep by 10:15 last night and slept until 9:30 this morning.

Either that or he's growing again.

So, here are some pics of our fun:


The candy factory tour would not have been as much fun if we didn't go with our cousins:

See? It's much more fun to wear a factory hat with your cousin:

Yes, The Girl is already sporting a cheek full of candy a full two minutes after arriving.

 This candy story was amazing. I loved the colors, textures, and the smell...oh, the smell...it was delicious:

This pic is called, "Mine, mine, mine."  And you have to say it just like the Seagulls on Finding Nemo.  Here are the boy's hoarding caramel coated marshmallows:

Loving the old delivery truck parked outside.

The crew watching the candy get packaged up:

It was a super sweet day:

The next morning we got up early and headed out for the aquarium.  I really love the way our city's aquarium is set up.  After hitting up a few aquariums in other cities (Boston and Maui), I've decided ours is pretty awesome. 

Same crew, different day, different location:

Exploring the Colorado River tanks.

 Hitting up some grub after all our exploring.  Yes, The Girl is crossing her eyes.  She's a keeper some days.

Is it wrong that I ate fish tacos for lunch?

Also, The Hubs and I celebrated number twelve, yesterday.  He sent me a sweet love note via Facebook:

 

I think the traditional gift for your twelfth anniversary is a Facebook note, right?  Well, since it is so close to silk or linen, I'm going to keep it.

We Are Saving Our Pennies Now

The Little Man had another Orthodontic consult today.  We had one earlier this year, but I just wanted to make sure we weren't getting bamboozled.  I've never had braces (I now realize how fortunate I was to skip this terrible adolescent passage, but at the time, I was actually jealous of all my metal mouthed friends.  I've never denied my craziness.).  Since I've never had braces, I felt like I needed to hear from a couple of orthodontists just to make sure I was hearing the same story.  Also, The Hubs is convinced the best way to go is Invisalign.  I'm not sold on that AT ALL.  So, I needed a professional opinion to back me up.

And now I've gotten it.

Twice.

We really liked this office, and I liked the way she wants to proceed with The Little Man's mouth, so I think, with our next steps laid out,  we're moving forward.

Getting ready for his exam.

It's a mess in there!

Weekend Fun

This weekend we were so fortunate to be able to celebrate my grandpa's 95th birthday.  NINETY FIVE, people!  We joke around and call him Benjamin Button because, I swear, he is in reverse.  For example, he recently had knee surgery so he could get around better...at 93 years old.  While there are some people missing from this picture (Hello, my two sisters and missing nephew!), this is the majority of my side of the fam. 

Don't ask why I am making that face.  It might have to do with the fact that I was trying to figure out which of the 32 cameras were actually taking the picture...that or I was battling blindness from all the flashes.

In all total, my grandpa's friends and family took up close to 34 seats in the restaurant we celebrated in.  Chaotic, but special.

After all the grub and celebrations were done, we headed over to my sister's place to hang with them and let the kids play without fearing they would have hot food or drinks spilled all over the place.  While I am awesome at making sure my kids always have proper sun protection, bug spray is not my strength.  Unfortunately, we were out a little past dusk for a little too long.  My poor Little Man is paying the price now. 

Yes, he has his shirt on.  Yes, his back/legs/arms are just as bad.

He counted over 24 in all. 

Bug spray, bug spray, bug spray.  I must remember the bug spray. 

Witchy Woman

After a full week at Drama Camp, we were able to watch The Girl show off the fruits of her labor in a production called, "It's Tough To Be A Prince".   She landed a roll as one of the three witches.  During the week, they auditioned, rehearsed, learned how to create sets, how to run lighting, had a singing clinic, took make-up and dance classes, and learned about stage combat moves.  She had a great time, and loved getting out of the house and being back in a routine (even though someone "hates school", someone is ready to go back to school more than she realizes).

She did a great job, and like all parents, I love, LOVE, L-O-V-E watching my kid do something she loves.  I hope she continues to get more opportunities like this one!

On stage with her other witch friends and the prince:

And her final curtain call:

I'm so proud of you, Sweet Girl!  I can't wait to see you on stage again soon!

How Did This Happen?

That's The Little Man's feet.  We went shoe shopping for school yesterday, and I was surprised to find out that he now wears a 3.5.  I think that is the same size as his sister.  My boy is getting so big, so fast!

At his annual check up a few weeks ago his new stats were: 52.25 inches and 54 pounds.  He had grown three inches and gained six pounds since his last exam!  Now that I think about it, it does feel like I feed him all. the. time.  The doctor projected that he would be about six foot four inches to about six foot six inches!

I guess he does need some flippers to support that frame.

P.S. He did run the length of the store to see if the shoes helped him run fast before he decided upon this pair.  He might be a big kid, but he's still a kid.

Another Visit to The Busiest Park in town

Same park, different set of friends, but just as much fun.  Hey, when you know you've got a good thing going, keep it going!  Too bad everyone and their mom/daycare center/summer camp feels the same way about this park as we do.  This place is seriously rockin' and FULL to the brim with kids.

This time Little Man found a new spot for maxin' and relaxin':

This pic looks like a innocent picture of my son balancing with a bunch of kids on this doughnut type merry-go-round-thingamajig.  What you don't know: The Little Man made everyone stop going round and round so that his mom could take a picture of him.  I know! Sweet, right?  However, I was afraid that his loyalty to me was going to get his sweet little behind kicked.   I would've totally wasted those eight-year-olds if it came to blows. 

Just kidding. 

Sort of.

"Stop everyone! My mom wants to take my picture."

 Here, I covertly grabbed a pic so I could capture the moment, yet keep from making a scene:

That was a much better choice.

We missed having The Girl there with us, but she is having a TON of fun at Drama Camp this week.  More on that later in the week.  I've got two more days with The Little Man all to myself, and then it will be his turn for camp and The Girl and I will get a chance to hang out.

Can't wait!

"Date" Night

I was lucky enough to go out on an impromptu "Date" night with The Hubs last night.  I call it a "Date" night because it was actually a work event in which it was deemed acceptable for spouses to attend. 

I'll take whatever I can get!

Turns out, it was a great night of baseball in a corporate suite with catered dinner. Score!  Even better the kids got to spend the night with grandma and grandpa which meant we could get up for an early morning bike ride together.  Double score!

Stadium view from our suite:

 I don't think I've ever sat in this area of the stadium (and certainly not in a suite), but I love the way this stadium frames the mountains.  This pic does not do the mountains any justice.  They were gorgeous!

And a pic of The Hubs and I:

Not the best pic I've ever seen of us. 

Eh, whatevs.

Boy Play Date

Having all sisters (three of them!), and then first having a daughter, my son has been the one to initiate me into all things boy. 

The boy play date is much different than girl play dates.  There is no quiet.  No running up to the bedroom, closing the door, and whispering and giggling for hours.  No playing with dolls or "house". 

Boys are a bit rowdier, louder, and bond over things like playing video games:

 How do you discuss each other's deepest secret while conquering world 7 on Mario Bros?

And boys think it's super fun to drink zombie barf and eat zombie skin:

Thank you, Dr. Dreadful Zombie Lab.  You provided a full 40 minutes of entertainment.

While these play dates are vastly different than what I'm used to, I still love having The Little Man's friends over, and watching my "boy be a boy".

Caught

Someone got caught by the sprinkler:

Here's who was holding the hose:

A Full Day of Fun

On Friday, we spent almost an entire day bowling, playing laser tag, eating pizza, and playing arcade games with good friends.  It was nice to get out of the house and to hang with friends.  My kids are showing signs that they are in need of company, other than each other.

So thankful to have great friends who enjoy spending time with one another...and also that they have fun moms for me to hang with as well!

Final Scores

Spring Cleaning in the Summer

I've have a couple of projects that need to get done and they keep getting under my skin, yet I don't want to find have the time to tackle them.  First up, the kids' office.  The idea is that they would have this great office where they could work on projects, homework, and crafts without making the rest of the house a disaster in their own special space.  The problem is that someone has to set it up.

That someone is me.

I guess pinning a bunch of really cool organized office ideas doesn't really help much unless you actually implement them.

Darn.

Well, we headed to the container store today, and were able to make a pretty big dent yesterday:

I won't show you the other side of the office. 

Where do you think all the other stuff went?

I was feeling pretty empowered, so I also tackled the junk drawer.  The cute little organizer, I found while shopping for office organization, really helped give me the motivation I needed.  (I don't know why this pic is sideways.  Just tilt your head):

Watch out Laundry Room!  Your next...

...Or I might just keep closing the door.

Guess What? More Swimming!

How sick are you of all the pictures of my kids at the pool?  The funny thing is, I don't feel like we've been to the pool nearly as much this year as we have gone in years past. 

Well here's some more:

Yesterday, we were joined by our "Georgia Cousins".  Word was they were itching to get some swimming done.  Guess what?  That's what we do!

After, we did a little playing at the park:

 There's The Girl, making sure she still knows how to do her flips on the bar:

 She's still got it...wet bathing suit and all.

Ending the Day

After a day of running around to three different doctor's appointments, it was nice to sit on the porch, watch the kids play, and enjoy perfect weather at the end of the day.

Some More Typical Summer Break Photos

On Friday, we met some friends at a new "Sprayground" in town.  This park had a huge play place with slides, climbing walls, swings, and all sorts of equipment I don't know the names for, a really fun sprinkler park, and tons of covered picnic areas for families to gather and eat or escape the heat for a little while. 

The kids were excited that the water in sprinklers seemed to be treated with chlorine (Geesh! You take them to one park that uses regular water in the sprinkler systems, and you forever scar them).

I don't usually take pics on the weekends, but this was too cute to pass up.  It's my peeps enjoying a Sunday afternoon.  I love watching The Hubs and The Little Man get serious with Mario Bros. Wii.  The Girl is also playing Mario Bros. on the Dsi.  She doesn't like to play with the group...it's just too competitive for her peacemaker personality.

Yesterday, my sister and I were going to be rock stars and bike the actual bike trail that we will be racing on for our triathlon coming up in a few weeks.  After about half way through the ride, a very large storm blew threw.  After we scrambled for cover, we waited for over 30 minutes as heavy rain, a little hail, and some lightening came through.  Since we NEVER have morning thunderstorms here, we were both completely taken off guard by this storm.

Thunderstorms: 2 Me: 0

Here's a pic of the dam we were riding around.  What? You can't see it? That would be the sheets of rain blocking our view:

With all the hot weather we've been having this summer, it had been a long time since I had enjoyed a nice long hot shower.  After I got home from this ride,  being soaked to the bone with only bike shorts and a tank top on, I was thankful for hot water!

We've been praying for rain, and the last few days we  have had a bunch!  That's something to be thankful for as well.

A Mid-Summer Va-Cay and a Near Drowning

Our little foursome hit the road for a bit of a mid-summer break get-away.  We were so excited to go, the night before we left, the kids and I sat out side waiting for The Hubs to return from his business trip.  Because I didn't calculate very well, we ended up hanging out on the drive way for over an hour.

Even Gracie could be found waiting for The Hubs:

 While we waited, we got a little bit silly:

It was a great night to spend an hour or so outside:

The next day, we packed it up and headed for the hills.  We were hoping that we remembered everything.  As usual, something always gets forgotten.  Do you think there is any room in there for my toothbrush?

From that point on, we were in "Mountain Mode".  The Hubs would like to bring "mountain activities" into our every day lives in the 'burbs.  I like that these activities are just a part of our Mountain Adventures.  It keeps everyone safe.

The Little Man and his cousin

The Girl and her cousin

We stuck with BB guns for the first day:

After a few rides into the forest with The Hubs driving, The Little Man refused to be a passenger any longer, claiming "Daddy is way too dangerous of a driver".  So they swapped places and all was good again.

The Girl was happy with her driver, though.  She remained a happy passenger.

Once in the forest, the kids ditched the BB guns and had some real target practice.  They both really enjoyed this and did pretty well for their first try.  (See what I mean about keeping "mountain activities" in the mountains!)

 Of course, there is always hiking in the mountains:

  And to wrap up our stay here, we were able to take in a beautiful sunset.

Once we were back home, it was straight to a 4th of July picnic.  We've been attending this same picnic with our church family for seven years in a row.  Just because we had been driving home from the mountains, still slightly dirty, and had no time to unpack or get ourselves put together did not mean we should miss it this year.  The sad (but necessary) part: no fireworks this year.  Almost all shows were canceled this year due to the extreme drought and the high fire danger our state is dealing with.   So, I had to settle for these two little firecrackers:

I'm good with that.

After so many days away,  I had to get serious about getting back into training mode for my upcoming triathlon.   With only a month to go, it was time to take my swimming skillz to open water.  The kids and I headed to a local reservoir, and I showed that reservoir who's boss.

OK.  I actually felt like I was going to die.  Reservoirs are like pools of ice compared to the neighborhood pool. Reservoirs have small under currents.  Reservoirs have smallish waves that slap you in the face as you turn to take a breath.  Lastly, reservoirs do not have clear water which leads to swimming several meters in the wrong direction without knowing. 

Boy, I do love the pool.

I will have to hit this reservoir a few more times before I will feel ready for the race.

As for the kids, they loved the sand, but complained the water was way too cold. 

Yea, I know what that's all about.