Labor Day 2012

I had these photos uploaded and ready to share.... So here are our fun Labor Day photos....

Our friends Jill and Mike were nice enough to invite us and Steve's business partner, Grant, and his family over for a little end-of-summer fun.  Here we are loading up the boat.  They have a beautiful house on Pine Lake and were willing to take all the kids tubing.

Before we took off....

Gabby and I were going to be the spotters.....

Nicholas wanted to give it a try first.  Amanda decided to hang back and see if it really was going to be fun.  Steve was recruited to go with Nick.  Here they are hanging on for dear life.

Amanda finally came around and she hopped on the tube with Nicholas.  Steve was trying to knock the kids off, but without much success.  They had a great time!

Gabby enjoyed the boat ride... Maybe next year she will get on a tube!

And then it was the big boys.... Steve and Grant... hanging on as Mike tried to throw them off of their respective tubes.... I even gave tubing a try.  I was very sore the next day.  I laughed so hard, it was a lot of fun hanging on and then falling into the water.

After a little lunch... Mike was ready to teach the kids how to fish.  He was like the Pied Piper leading all the children away to the dock... it only took some fishing poles and live bait!

Nicholas lowered his line....

And caught a fish!

There it is flopping around on the dock in all its glory.

Then it was Amanda's turn... she couldn't be outdone by her brother... and wouldn't you know it... the fish were biting and she caught a fish right away!

She was not so excited to pose with her prize worthy catch!  Do you see her inching away from it?  Steve couldn't get her to hold it up.

There were a lot of fish biting near the dock.  The kids must have caught close to 20 fish.

And then Mike would release them back into the lake so the next kid could catch them....

Gabby hung out on the dock during all the fishing.  We had to keep an eye on her because she really wanted to see what was going on.  I was just worried she might go for a swim off the edge of the dock.

So there you have it.... the last official weekend of summer.  It was so much fun!  I hope to be back soon.  Until later....

The Last Week or So.....

So we have been back to school for approximately 2 weeks and I'm finally finding some time to blog.  We have all had a tough adjustment with the new start time for school.  We have to be at the bus by 7:35 and that has been tricky.  I have resorted to waking up at 5:30 to run.... UGH...!  I try and pack the back packs and most of the lunches the night before... but it has still has been challenging.  Steve has had a lot of early mornings lately... so that leaves one less drill sergeant.

I am back to chauffeuring alot.  The kids are back to playing tennis 3 days a week, practicing piano, and playing soccer.  We have had lots of homework and several tests and quizzes.  Gabby is going to school three days a week and she started her speech program again.  She has group instruction on Wednesday and today was her first one-on-one session with her new therapist.  Her vocabulary is increasing and now we are working to get all of these new words into phrases and sentences.  It is amazing how far she has come since last September.  I can't wait to see her progress during this school year.  All of these activities and school add up to a lot of drive time.  Its a good thing I'm working out.... since a good 2 hours of the day is spent sitting on my butt driving around!

 Check out how happy Gabby is to go to preschool.....

 Nicholas moved up to a new division in soccer.  He was excited to try out the larger fields (more running woohoo) and the larger goals.  Amanda was happy NOT to watch her brother play.  Instead she was a great help taking Gabby to the park to play.

 Nicholas's new team.... the Arsenal.... they lost 2-3 but guess what... Nicholas scored a goal!

 Looking cute on the couch! (Gabby really seems to like this outfit... she is wearing it in a bunch of pictures!)

 This is how Gabby came downstairs on Sunday morning... You know about her bathing suit obsession... well this is the look for fall... with a hat!

This week I had to redo the kids photos so we could apply for passports... I thought the photos were easy... Unfortunately my printer didn't cooperate and I had to have them developed at Costco.  The rest of the passport process was a little nightmarish.  After going to 2 post offices we found out you needed an appointment to submit an application.  We ended up at our county clerks office after pulling the kids out of school early.  It was impossible to get all of us together to apply for them when the hours were so limited.

 Nicholas was getting restless....

 He couldn't take it any more..... No more photos...

 He threatened to start making faces....

 Even Gabby was in on the photo action....

 And the silly faces....

 She thought she was being, "So Funny!" as she always likes to say... and yes... she is wearing bright, blue nail polish... that she chose... which matches her blue bathing suit for swim lessons... it is all about coordinating with the bathing suit....

So that's it for now.  Steve and I have a date night tomorrow and we are going to the Tiger's game. I'm so excited to spend some time with him when I'm not exhausted (which I might remind you... is a state of mind.... please reference my previous posts.) Let's hope the Tigers can win.  Until later....

The First Day of School Craziness and a Garage Sale

So I need to put up these photos before I forget about the excitement of the first day of school.  After a fun-filled weekend, having the barbecue on Sunday and spending the day at the lake on Monday, the kids were sad to say goodbye to summer.  However, I do think they were excited to see their friends again.  This year Nicholas is in the 3rd grade and Amanda is in 5th grade.  Unfortunately their school closed at the end of last year, and this year they have to go to a new school, with new teachers, and meet new friends.  I think they were both a little nervous to go back.  Anyway.... this new school begins an hour earlier than the old school.  Now they begin class at 8 and get out at 3 instead of 9 to 4.  I was excited about the early start so our afternoons wouldn't be so hectic.  Last year they got off the bus close to 4:30 which was tough to get to activities, and it was close to dinner, etc.  With that said... it was a little difficult getting out the door at 7:30 to take these back to school photos.  Nicholas was ready so I grabbed the garage door opener and my camera and started taking shots.  I got this cute one of Nick on the rock.

 And this one on the front porch.... and then I began worrying about Amanda.  She moves fairly slow in the morning because that's who she is.... Nick usually gets moving quickly... and Amanda needs some time.  So I go back into the house to check on Amanda and she is frantic... she forgot her shoes upstairs, and her socks, and her pencil case, etc.  We are rushing because we are on the verge of running late.  I'm panicking a little because of the new start time... I'm hurrying Amanda along because I would also like to get a photo before we are off to the bus stop.  Well... in my rush to get out the door... I locked it... WITHOUT my keys in hand.  I always take my keys with me, but this morning I had just grabbed the garage door opener.  A person, smarter than me, would put a spare key in the garage, but needless to say... I didn't.  I was officially locked out of the house!

 I was not happy!  I took one shot of Amanda at the front porch...Can you see she is stressed because I was stressed?  UGH... and of course Steve was not going to be home until lunch time, and I needed to have Gabby at preschool orientation by 10:00 and I had to be at work by 11.  I would just have to call Steve... too bad I didn't have my phone... but alas... I had my CAMERA and I got this solo photograph....

 At the bus stop....

 I have no shots getting on the bus or walking to the bus... I  snapped this photo after school walking home.  I was in a much better mood.  Amanda's best friend's mom was nice enough to drive me to Steve's work ( and then he wasn't there), wait for me until Steve got there, and then bought me coffee and Gabby breakfast.  She was feeling crazy this morning too because her daughter was beginning 9th grade and missed the bus because everyone over slept.  Anyway... I got the keys from Steve, I made it to the orientation only a couple minutes late, and then I was able to go to work.  It was a crazy and stressful morning!

 And I forgot to mention... it happened to be my Birthday.  Happy Birthday to Me!

 I wished for a year of happiness and Gabby wished for spare house keys!

 So over all it has been an adjustment week.  By Friday everyone was very cranky with the new routine.  Gabby loves preschool and Amanda and Nick are seeming to like the new school.  We are back to piano lessons, tennis, and soccer already.  I'm back to 20 minute meals and breaking out the crock pot once again.  With that said... during this back-to-the-school week I decided to participate in my Mom's subdivision garage sale.  At the time it seemed like a great idea.....get rid of all this baby and kid's stuff.... It was bad timing.  I was scrambling to clean out closets and the basement, and bring the stuff to Moms and tag all the items.  Luckily Mom was a huge help.  Here we are sitting in the garage all day on Friday.  I'm happy to report I got rid of some junk... but not all of my treasures sold.  So I had to lug all that stuff back home.  The kids were going to be happy I made some money off of their old toys.

 Look... we even had hanging displays...

 The evening after the garage sale the kids had a welcome back picnic at school.  Here we are on the playground.  Gabby was AWESOME at the climbing wall.  She could have never done this 6 months ago.  She was able to climb the wall independently and without instruction.  Her motor planning and strength have come so far.  It is so great to see.  She is finally catching up.  I'm so happy with her progress.

 Nicholas at the new school...

 Amanda who always seems to be with her friend.... How fun!  Remember elementary school playing on the playground... How great to be a kid!

 And finally.... Nicholas has been saving up and saving up his allowance to buy this lovely Lego set.  He has been talking about it for weeks.  Somehow his Aunt Mo Mo donated to the cause while she was here so he would have enough money to buy it.  He checked it out on line and it was $40.  Unfortunately after going to the store it was $50.  If he ordered it on-line... after shipping it was $49.  He was truly disappointed and cried forever and threw a tantrum at 7 years old.  We told him he was just going to have to earn $10 more dollars.  This week he continued to unload the dishwasher and help with the groceries... but it was the FANTASTIC garage sale that finally earned him enough money to buy this... Thanks Mom and Dad for letting me set up shop in your garage.... you made his day and Amanda has $10 more dollars towards her goal of buying an i-pad.  (I might be sitting in your garage for the next 5 years to help Amanda out!)

Have a great week!  Hope to be back soon... but you never know what this week will have in store...  Having some spare house keys made are at the top of my list....Until later....

A Glimpse of the Barbeque/Baseball Game

Hope everyone is enjoying this Labor Day Weekend.  We have had a fun-filled couple of days.  Yesterday I had some of the family over for an impromptu barbeque and today we got invited to the lake by some friends.  The weather has been beautiful, visiting with family and friends was fun, and the kids have been laughing and relaxing and enjoying these final days of summer vacation.  Tomorrow the new routine begins and we have to say good bye to these carefree days.  I thought I'd share a couple of photos from the barbeque/impromptu baseball game.  Here they are:

(I surrendered my camera to Crystal and she took all these baseball photos outside... I was otherwise preoccupied in the outfield.....)

Because I was not in charge of the camera... there were some strange photos I found on my memory card....  Justin doing some sort of baseball victory dance (I caught the ball.... cause I'm the best.... check out my moves.... )

 And then there was this beauty... After I made a crazy catch in the outfield to rob my 7 year old son of a home run.... This was my victory dance.... (Note to self:  Do not let Crystal be in charge of the camera..... EVER)

 And because I was playing outfield with Justin... I had to share this shot.... I refused to play the muddy grassy area that Nicholas, or Mom, or Cameron would hit the ball to... but Justin didn't let a little mud deter him...He chased down ball after ball in hopes of making an out.  He decided to roll up his shorts because the mud was flying when he would run through the swampy grass....

 All for the love of the game........

So that was a little glimpse of the BBQ.... I'll share photos from our day at the lake soon.  Now I'm off to hang out with the kids.  I told them to enjoy this evening because tomorrow is the first day of school and I'm sure everyone will be up early.  Plus I said, "Get ready, you know what I'm going to take tomorrow?" (Lots of photos I was thinking) But Amanda promptly responded, "Some aspirin!"  Oh brother... I hope the beginning of the school year isn't going to lead to headaches already.  She was witty and she did make me laugh!  Have a good night.  Until later.....

Where Did the Time Go?

I can't believe this is the official last weekend of summer.  Where did the time go?  We have kept really busy this summer and had lots of fun.  It is unbelievable that school begins on Tuesday and all the chaos begins.  I plan to enjoy this final weekend.  Here is what has been happening the last couple of weeks.
The kids have been playing a lot of tennis lately.  Gabby and I usually drop the kids off at camp and then run errands, or I go to work, or sometimes we make it back home to make muffins.  Thanks to the self timer Gabby and I got captured making muffins....

 I don't know what is so funny about muffin making.... but we both have a case of the giggles....

 And finally... a self portrait with outstretched arms....

 I took this on my i-phone while Gabby and I were out running errands.  Lately this 3 year old girl has been very opinionated.  Let me start off by saying... she loves clothes.... especially dresses... and by now you know her affinity for bathing suits.... Well it is getting nearly impossible to go shopping with this girl.  I try to quickly fly by any children's clothing departments... or else I end up buying something for her.  Here we are at Target... getting the norm... toiletries and snacks..  Of course I had to pass by the clothes...(thank goodness the bathing suits are out of season, now I would be safe passing through this area)... but alas I was WRONG.  Something caught Gabby's eye... The purple dress with the little tuille tu-tu... It was rather plain so I suggested the lepord print dress.  I thought it was cute and she could wear it to school.  She promptly threw it on the ground and told me it was UGLY.  I didn't even know that word was in her vocabulary!  That made me laugh and I snapped a picture of her with the UGLY dress.  Now it seems UGLY has become one of her new favorite words.  She loves to express all types of items as "pretty, very cute, or now UGLY!"

Believe it or not Gabby has gotten much better at riding a bike.  This was an enormous accomplishment.  She still has some difficulty using the left leg... but at least she can pedal with some continuous motion.  There was no way Gabby was going to bike Amanda around the court, but she was giving it her best effort.

This is ultimately what happened.... Gabby rested on the handlebars and Amanda pedaled down the court and across the street...

We have been watching a lot of baseball lately.  We hope the Tigers will win the pennant race.  Nicholas has really been interested in baseball too.  This was a game of driveway wiffle ball one afternoon.  Check out the pitcher.... his ERA is fairly low... he tends to strike out the younger players... and he demonstrates great fielding capablility considering the limited number of players on the team....

Like I said the limited number of outfielders.... they cover everything.... right, left, and center field... and down the street balls...

Nicholas trying to bare hand a ball.... we were trying to teach him to get his glove down low, but he had his own technique...

Even Gabby had a chance to bat... I think her tennis skills are really helping her batting average...

This was Amanda rounding 2nd base... She launched a ball into the trees and that is automatically ruled a double and not an inside-the-front-yard-homerun.

Trying to capture the kids after the baseball game.  This could have been an excellent picture had Gabby not hurt her knee, or had the sun in her eyes, or seen something disgusting made a funny face!

Last week the kids were invited to the beach by some of our friends.  Gabby wasn't so sure about the lake water.  It was dirty... she kept pointing out that it was really dirty.  After awhile she began to warm up to the idea of playing in the water... and laying in the water... and then not wanting to get out of the DIRTY water!

Nicholas was having a great time....

Amanda and Nicholas spent a good portion of the afternoon making this cool sandcastle....

The sandcastle even had a moat... and then a river running through it... It was really cool!

And then.... Steve and I had the chance to go out of town for a long weekend to Boston.  We had a great time, however I didn't take tons of photos.  I'll try to share a little bit about our trip soon. So that pretty much brings you up to date about things here.  Enjoy the Labor Day weekend!  Until later......