Photo Faux Pas

I returned my new camera today. It's been acting up since a month or so after I got it and having tried various fixes that didn't work, I just couldn't take it anymore.

I'm sad. I'm at a loss. I was so excited about that camera. I thought it was great! (In the beginning.) Now I don't know what to do. We have plans and I don't want to miss out on taking pictures of them. I don't want to miss out on having a record of the things we do!

I have found another new camera. I just haven't found a place to buy it locally. Craig even went out to look around town so we could have it for the weekend. No luck. Maybe we'll find it around here by Saturday. Maybe not. If not, I think we'll have to order it on-line.

I don't want to wait. I don't want to miss out on any more pictures of my kids. I'm sad... I'm at a loss...

Cute Kids

I love these two.

 

They make my heart full.

Pool Passes

We got our passes to Castaway Bay today. And we are
snappy - lappy - happy - pappy!

 

Craig and I have been talking about getting passes for a while. We thought having someplace to go on a regular basis this summer would be a good idea since he has to sleep during the day and the kids and I often need to get out of the house. We love the library, and going to the park is great, but we just can't stay at those places as long as we can stay at the pool. We could stay at the pool for days...

So yeah for us! The kids and I had a great time again
this afternoon. We met up with some old friends and saw some new ones. (We've already made a few since we've been going the last couple of weeks.)

Bergen is a fearless fish

 

and Logan is almost swimming!

 

Want to get together and catch up sometime? Come and see us at the pool! We'll be there again the day after tomorrow, and many days after that.

Fun Friday: Library, Lunch, and Leisure

The kids and I went to the library this morning so they could have their summer reading program book lists checked. Once a child meets the reading goal they set at registration they can collect their prize! Logan and Bergen both set a goal to read 30 books this summer. With our numerous trips to the library and the back-breaking number of books we leave with each time, it should be
no surprise that they have read 60 books each -- and they're still going!

They were very excited to get bookmarks and tickets to redeem for lunch at Chick-fil-A. Which we did. Yum! (They also got an extra prize for exceeding their goals. A ticket for a free ride at Columbian Park! I can see a train in our future.)

 

We haven't been to Chick-fil-A for a long time and had forgotten what fun it could be. We used to go often after play group when Logan was little, but Bergen hasn't had the joy of experiencing playing as one of the "big kids." (She can still be a bit timid when we go to the McDonald's play area.)

 

 

After lunch, running errands, and grocery shopping we stopped by a redbox and got some movies. And tonight we camped out in the living room and watched them!

The kids chose (some really lame movies) a "Mario Brothers" cartoon with multiple episodes and "Aussie and Ted's Big Adventure." Bergen made it through Mario, but was out before Aussie was over. Logan however, had to watch until the very end of both movies! Maybe the Slim Jim and popcorn kept him up; I don't know.

 

 

I do know it was another super, successful Fun Friday!

Who needs a nap?

Bergen stopped napping a long time ago, but every once in a while I find her like this:

 

Since Craig is working 3rd shift he has to sleep during the day so I try really hard to have the kids keep their voices down when we're home while he's napping. However, there are times when they're so noisy they wake him up anyway! I cringe when he comes out of our room before its "time." I also offer up a little prayer of thanks when he can catch up later in the day if he needs to.

Movie Monday

The kids and I were invited to see Toy Story 3 with some friends today. I knew about it late last week, but wanted it to be a surprise (and avoid any whining that might ensue about when we'd be going) so told Logan last night and Bergen this morning. Just as I thought, they were pretty excited.


Once we had our drinks, snacks, and popcorn, we settled in for the show. And it was great! I love it when a sequel lives up to the original; although I prefer the second over the first in this case. Bergen didn't have much to say about it. She was really hoping to see Marmaduke! (Have I mentioned that she's been in "puppy mode" since her birthday in January?) Logan must have liked it though because he's already asked if we can get it when it comes out on DVD. Hmmm, maybe it'll be out in time for Christmas...

Father's Day

Craig is a great dad! I could go on and on about him, but instead I decided to ask the kids to tell me a couple of their favorite things about him.

Logan said he likes skiing with him and "I like him to be proud of me." Bergen said she likes it "when he snuggles me." Of course they both had this to say: "We love our Daddy!"

K'nex

Logan got some K'nex for his birthday and this is what our living room floor has looked like pretty regularly ever since. It does get cleaned up at night, but from morning until before bedtime... this is it!

 

These things are really cool! They come with easy to follow directions, they're compatible with Lego's, using our imaginations they keep us entertained for long periods of time, AND...

 

 

Some sets come with motors! Thanks Aunt Audrey and Uncle Brian!

This one is called the Octopus. It's like a real carnival ride! You can even put Lego people in the seats (which Logan did after I took the picture.)

 

I'm telling you, these things make for some very fun times!

Another Storm

I watched a storm roll in tonight. It was eerie.

The kids and I were sitting at the dining table when all of a sudden I heard a screeching sound and quickly realized that the wind had pulled the umbrella out of the patio table. I thought it was probably lost forever so I grabbed my camera and headed outside.

Here's what I saw: Clouds rolling in overhead. No too big a deal except for the umbrella, which I was going to look for.

But then, the little log cabin some friends have entrusted us with until they return from a summer hiatus went flying. It actually tumbled end over end into the field behind our house!

I took a few more pictures because the clouds were really moving. Then I went out into the field to get it. Craig returned from an errand just then and helped me bring it in (which I was grateful for).

The cabin is intact and suffered no damage. The roof came off, but will be put back on. The kids have been enjoying it and I don't think they'll let it go without repair for long. (So no worries Margot.)

And I did find the umbrella - intact. Way out in the field two houses down. Next time a storm comes through I'll make sure to bring it in...

I'm not afraid of storms, I actually think they're cool, but this one made me think.


Maybe I should have been a storm chaser...

Fun Friday: Cool at the Pool

We went to the pool today and it was a blast!


This is the pool I've been thinking of getting a pass for and now that we've been there I definitely want to do it! It's big enough that the kids can have all kinds of fun and small enough that I can see them if they get away from me for a minute! It also seems more family-friendly than the pool we're used to going to. There were tons of moms (and dads) and kids there, as opposed to masses of teenagers.

We were at the pool for a little over three hours and were only out of the water for about 15 minutes. We didn't even get out for snacks and drinks! I was glad the kids' sunscreen kept them pretty well protected. Especially since mine was somewhat lacking in that department. For someone who doesn't burn easily if at all, I did. And on top of the little bit of "first outing of summer redness" I was already sporting from our day out in the backyard this week, I consider myself fried!

 

It was nice having so much fun with the kids! Logan was excited to practice his swimming and had fun doing cannon balls and going under the water. Bergen exerted her independence by swimming (aka walking) all over the place, climbing out of the pool and jumping back in. I enjoyed being in the water with the two of them and not having to worry that it was too deep. It was actually relaxing!

We're pretty busy this coming week, but you can bet if we can't fit it in, the week after next we'll be going back; at least a couple of times... Anyone want to join us?

I am loving summertime!

Water Babies

I got the pool out for the kids today. I thought it was pretty beat up and had it ready to throw in the garbage last fall, but am glad it got put away instead. It is in perfect shape, albeit a little small.

The first thing Logan did was put the pool under the slide. He l-o-v-e-s sliding into it! Bergen enjoyed running in and out of the house to get bath toys to play with. Of course it goes without saying that the water was on and the hose was in use for the better part of the time we were outside. I didn't care though. I had a great time sunning myself on a lawn chair while watching Logan and Bergen play together. I am one lucky mom to have kids who get along so well.

After a few hours, a lot of wet/muddy grass, and a break for lunch, I moved the pool and filled it up again. We played "Monkey in the Middle" with the monkey in the pool, and I had fun splashing the kids by throwing the ball into the water near them.

Obviously I couldn't pass up a couple of cute photo opps.

Five hours later I finally got the kids to come in by promising them a bath in their swimming suits! I even added some bubbles. I think they were happy to warm up and liked the fact that they got to play some more. The down side? After their bath there was water everywhere!

What an adventure. The kids had a great time and we all got a little sun. (See Logan's shoulders in the tub? Luckily only the tops of Bergen's thighs were pink.)

Tonight we snuggled and read some library books.
I love days like this!

Enough with the spinach already!

Remember that fresh spinach I bought at Sam's Club last week? Well I've been enjoying it immensely!

I've had spinach and strawberry salad,

 

several sandwiches (with Cheetos of course),

 

spinach salad with chicken and mandarin oranges,

 

and more! The above are just a few of the tasty treats I've thought to take pictures of.

I must say the stuff is delicious. It's a bit hard to eat so much of it on your own though. Next time I think I'll go with a little bit smaller package.

Yum.

Summer Reading Program Update

The kids and I went to the library again today. They'd both read their first five books and wanted to get their Dairy Queen coupons. They had actually each read enough to get their squirty critters too. Woo Wee!

Today we checked out 36 books. The scant 20 we took home last time were apparently not enough. We also got four movies. (I'm thinking about putting the kibosh on movies for now. I don't really think we need them since its summertime and I want us to play outside. They do however keep the kids quiet when we're inside and Craig is sleeping. It's a tough call.)

Logan and Bergen loved their ice cream cones and I enjoyed a small blizzard, which was also free. (You gotta love that punch card.)

And finally, here's the poster we made so the kids can see how many books they're reading. I thought it would be fun to keep track where we could see our progress (Not that the paper from the library isn't lovely.) so we write the names of the books on scales after we've read them and the kids tape the scales to the fish. They had a great time coloring their "rainbow fish" and their eyes light up every time they get to add a scale!

I think the summer reading program ROCKS!

Wet and Wild

We had a HUGE thunderstorm tonight. Craig was outside working on his car, but stopped and came in to get the kids so they could watch the clouds roll in. I went out for a minute too, but the rain started to fall so I retreated inside. I wasn't dry for long though. The kids were squealing so loudly that I had to go and see what the commotion was all about. This is how I found them:

Splashing in the pool (okay wading in the water) between our house and the neighbors!

 

 

Logan also enjoyed a "shower" until Craig climbed up on a chair to clean out the gutter so the water could come down normally.

 

 

Then we all went out to see how fast the water was rushing down the drain in the street. Too bad the picture doesn't show it very well. It was crazy!

 

 

I don't know why Logan was plugging his ears -- It was hard to hear the tornado sirens going off the storm was so loud! Bergen was just happy to be out playing in it all.

 

 

We're wild I tell you! I heard later that most of our friends and neighbors were inside for the duration and then some.

Fun Friday: Photos

I'm not sure the kids thought of today's plans as "fun", but I was pretty excited. I've put off having Bergen's 3 year picture taken because she's had a swollen lip or a bruise every time I've thought about going. I finally decided when Logan turned 6 just to take them in together. Unfortunately we had a little bit of a harried morning so they didn't look as polished as I would have liked. Oh well, they're kids, right? And they're mine. And they're still super cute. And I love them.

Here's a sneak peek (for the grandparents) even though its not of any we bought, and looks like something I might have taken myself after a bit of the kids' daily rough-housing. By the way, they're wearing their Easter outfits minus Logan's tie.

I did go all out and get this one. Just one. A 10x10. And a collage no less. It's going to look great on the wall in my sewing/craft room!

The kids played around a lot while the pictures were being taken and I felt like I had to yell a lot to get them to pay attention. The photographer was nice and said it was their ages, and tried hard to work around their rambunctiousness, but I just didn't think he got any really good shots that captured their personalities this time. Oh well, there's always next year. I'm honestly just thrilled to have them done for this year!

And you know, now that I think about it, we did stop at Burger King for lunch on the way home, and we got a redbox movie tonight, so maybe it was another Fun Friday after all...

Mmmm Strawberries

It's that time again! Actually it's over. Today was the last day to pick strawberries at Annie's Orchard this year so my sister-in-law Nicole and I gathered our kids and went for it. We had our work cut out for us. The strawberries were small and the bushes were picked over, but we still got some good ones. And they were sweet!

The kids each wanted their own container, but ended up abandoning them and helping us fill ours. At least they carried empty boxes back rather than full ones! That could have been trouble.

After a long and fun-filled day with the cousins (donuts, shopping, lunch, and playing - thanks guys), the kids and I headed home. I had jam to make!

Water Fun

The kids have been dying to go outside and play. In the water. But we haven't gotten their pool out yet. So today they improvised!

It was a little overcast but they didn't care. They had a blast with play kitchen, tub, and miscellaneous toys, and plastic bags.

Oh the simple joys...