End of Summer "Staycation" -- Part 2

This morning we headed to a great park...just 5 or so minutes from where we live.

We played at a fun playground.

Then "the boys" got ready to go fishing.

 They rented a row boat and headed out on the water.

While the boys were out on the water, Elizabeth and I snacked and played and tried to take some fun pictures. 

Some turned out...better than others.

Love this girl!

The guys came back and livened things up.

Nathan built a great castle.

Greg built a sand castle with Elizabeth.  Love Elizabeth's trying-to-be-patient stance.  Reminds me of Greg!

Joshua spent most of his time underwater. I tried to get a good picture of him...but they all turned out splashy and blurry. I guess that's a good problem on a day like today.

Had to get a picture to remember I was there too! 

Mostly I just want to remember how much our family loves days like this!  Especially time away to have fun with a great husband and dad!

End of Summer "Staycation" -- Part 1

School here starts in two weeks...and it's given me a bit of a jolt!  We've still got a list of "memories to make" before school starts!  So, on this rare weekend of nothing scheduled, we decided to declare a little "camping staycation". 

Camping is in quotes because between an "expectant" me and a Scoutmaster Greg, pulling out all the camping gear and actually taking it somewhere to spend a night without sleep just was more than we could bear.  So, we decided we'd do all of our favorite parts of camping without actually "spending the night away".  We were worried we'd be letting the boys down, but actually it's turned out to be a great way to have the fun without feeling the exhaustion (at least quite so much).  =)

So...last night we...

 Ate a hot dog dinner on the deck.

 Make "Slushees" for dessert.  A fun trick we got from my sister.  You put a can of soda into a quart-size Ziploc bag, then put that bag into a gallon-size Ziploc with ice and rock salt. 

Then you SHAKE!

And enjoy!

We worked hard...

 to set up the tent in the backyard...

Elizabeth had to bring out her long, blond haired baby doll ... named Jeffrey.  She would rock the baby and assign me to sing.  Then would tuck her in and repeat.    

After dark, we went outside to look at the stars.

Waking up this morning.  (You may notice the tent is in a different setting this morning.  Actually this is a different tent!  We realized that we'd wake up more cheerful this morning if three of us got to sleep in our own beds.  We took down the big tent outside and set up the smaller tent inside.  Nathan and Joshua slept in the tent in the family room after watching a bit of football with Dad.)   

Shiner

The night we went on our date to Harry Potter, the kids were in bed before we got home.  When we woke up the next morning, Joshua had a serious shiner!  You'll see more of it in the pictures to come.  Apparently Joshua's eye connected with the baby sitter's elbow while playing Frisbee outside.  Between that and a bug bite on top of it...we doubt (at least we hope) that this is the "truest" shiner that will ever grace his face!

Harry Potter -- The Next Generation

Ten years ago this fall, Greg and I got engaged.  One of my favorite memories of when Greg and I were dating, was Greg reading Harry Potter to me.  He'd read some of them before, but I never had.  He was so great at doing all the voices and really making it "come alive" to me.  The books, and the movies, have been an ongoing piece of our little family's identity.  

This summer, we suggested to Nathan (going into second grade this fall) that he might just like to try reading the first Harry Potter book.  He has surprised us and amazed us!  He's now quite a ways into book 5!  We decided that to celebrate his reading we'd have a Harry Potter night.  Greg had pizza delivered (a real novelty around here...can't remember if we've ever done it as a family before)...and we had a picnic dinner while we watched the first movie.  It was just so fun to watch Nathan watch the show!  Some things were an adjustment.  He'd been pronouncing some names, etc. differently than the movie does.  But, for the most part we were amazed how much he remembers and understands the characters and the plot and the details!  

Thursday, Greg got us a babysitter so we could go see the last Harry Potter movie just the two of us.  What a great "full circle" kind of week to see the happy ending 10 years after we read it!  And, to be living our own kind of happy ending...sharing this great story with our own boy!

Cute Summer Kids

Easter Fun!

We were so lucky to be invited to an Easter Egg Hunt at the home of some great people in our ward. What a fun way for a lot of young families "away from family" to get to make memories together! After the egg hunt we did a lot of playing outside and then decorated eggs. We brought rubber bands, a glue gun, rhinestones to "Be-Dazzle", etc. to kick it up a notch. I think our kids are such fun ages to do a day like this and have it just feel magical!

Hello Again!

Since my last blog post, our family has bought a home, moved into the home, had Spring Break, and yesterday was Elizabeth's 2nd birthday!  What a time for us!  But, such a happy time!

Two cute pictures to get us going again...
Nathan made Elizabeth a present for her birthday.  A bracelet our of elastic cording and "pony beads".  Then, he spent a long time wrapping it himself.  (We found out during the unwrapping that was in part because he'd decided to help it be sturdy for the wrapping he'd cover the whole bracelet in masking tape before applying the wrapping paper.)  =)   

Joshua has been sad for days that Elizabeth is turning 2.  When I asked him why, he said he just doesn't want her to change.  =)  I think we all share the sentiment.  So grateful she's our girl.  (And that we've got such tender-hearted boys!) 

Joshua's Field Trip to the Fire Station

Joshua's preschool went on a trip to the Fire Station.  This is Joshua with his best preschool friend, Drew.

 

Holding the hose...

 

Sitting in the fire truck...

They even had a "smoke house" where, when it got smokey, you practiced crawling to the window and climbing out by ladder.  

Play Date Spring Break

Spring Break followed right on the heels of our move.  We called it our "Play Date Spring Break".  I treasure the years when this kind of Spring Break still counts as "totally awesome"!  =)


We did projects...

And, had friends come to play. 

 

I just love this picture of Joshua helping his friend Addison take his shoes and socks off. 

Plenty of Nerf Gun Wars...

And playing at the park (even though you can tell it still required mittens)!

 

Even some friends came to visit from "out of town"! 

 

Just kind of fun to have a week to settle in and enjoy our new space!

Our New Home

The last week of January, we were looking at homes in the area and saw one on a street we had never considered before.  When we saw the neighborhood and the inside we loved it!  But, by 5 p.m. that evening the owners had already accepted an offer.  On February 3rd, Greg saw a posting for another home on the same street go up.  There was only an exterior picture and virtually no other information given, but we knew from our experience with the last house that this one was we wanted to see soon!  That night we went and saw it...and made an offer.  We were amazed at how this home had the things on our "need" list, and even a few of our "wants" too.  Now we're excited to...little by little...make the home our own.   

We're still living in the same town and ward.  But, Nathan and Joshua will transfer to a different elementary school (just down the sidewalk from us) this fall.

We closed on the home on March 10th, cleaned the carpets, purchased and had a fridge delivered, etc. later that day and the next, and moved in on Saturday, March 12th.  My mom arrived on Monday, March 14th to help us unpack and recover! 

My mom and I cleaned and even removed some wallpaper.  Unpacking could have taken weeks, but with my Mom here we were out of boxes in a week!  I always say that a home doesn't feel like a home until your parents have come to visit.  Meant a lot to have a Mom here to share our new excitement!

 

One of the greatest perks of the house in Nathan and Joshua's eyes' is the tree out front.  Nathan on his own, and Joshua with a step stool and hang on and swing from the lowest branch.  The simple joys!  We've got plans for building a "spy perch" inside the branches, because it is next to the sidewalk coming up to the front door.

One day the week of moving in we had a "drive-in movie" where the kids decorated their own box "cars" and then sat in them to watch the show.

Walking through our new neighborhood.

Big perk #2...a much larger canvas for sidewalk chalk!