32?

I distinctly remember turning 30. But somehow 32 snuck up on me. What happened to 31?!?



HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!:)

THANX DAD!

First day of school.

The kids started school on August 24th. I was so not ready for it. Maybe it was because summer got such a late start weather wise, who knows...but I wish we could have had until after Labor Day. Now our lives are crazy with soccer, football and homework. And, while I love fall and all it's activities...I miss our carefree summer days!





It was bright outside so they were not happy that I made them take this picture.

Hadley started 5th grade this year and was MORTIFIED that I wanted to take his picture outside his classroom. So, like a good mom...I did it anyway! I can't wait to embarass my kids as they get older!:)

Devin is in 2nd grade this year and not yet embarassed by me. just you wait Devin, mwuahahaha!

My "baby" started preschool a few days ago. It doesn't feel like she is really going to school because it's a friend of mine just doing a little class for just a few kids. It feels more like a playdate than school but my shy little girl really needed to get out so we signed up!

She got to pick her backpack out and was so excited to go! I can't believe she is getting so big. Luckily, with a fall bday, she get's an extra year home with me before kindergarten so I have another whole school year with her home after this one.

We had to get a picture of the back of the backpack. The boys are so over characters on their backpacks...it's not cool they say. But at least my baby still loves her tinkerbell!

Lexi and our neighbor Cooper. He is in her little class with her. They are adorable together.

The lake

The town we live in has a lake right in the middle of it. Not a load up and go water skiing type of lake...but some wading, fishing, an occasional sail boat, canoes and lots of swimming kind of lake.

It was the perfect way to spend hot summer afternoons. I would sit under a tree and read a book while the kids played to their hearts content!

Oregon

Peter's Grandma died earlier this year, she was cremated and in July we all went to Oregon to bury her next to her hubby.

Hadley didn't understand the concept of cremation and was talking to my friend and he told her that we were going to Oregon and we were going to have a big fire and burn Grandma! We had to sit him down and explain the process a little better after that:)

Grandma's urn was in the middle of this table. Hadley (of course) came up afterwards and wanted to know where she was. I said "In the jar with the purple flowers. Why?" He said "cuz I tried to open it to see her but it wont open"

gotta love that kid.

The Olson's...minus Everett who is on a mission, and Kat who had to fly back to Tenessee for back surgery.

While there we went to Crater Lake. We hadn't been since the week after we got married.

It was July and there was still so much snow up there!

Everyone decided that since we were already in Oregon, right next to the worlds best camping spot (at least our favorite!!) that we would just camp for a few days before heading home.
You may or may not remember our camping trip from a couple years ago. But, determined not to relive it...we stayed in a hotel and just drove up to the campsite everyday to hang out with everyone. It was MUCH better!

Poor Marilyn got her hair stuck in the tent zipper. She was pretty embarassed but it was so cute that I had to take a pic! what kind of aunt would I be if I hadn't!!:)

The kids swam at the lake...the water was maybe in the 50's temperature wise and even Lexi just walked right in and swam. Peter and I took 30 minutes to slowly inch our way in...and I gave up when it hit my thighs and just watched.

Everyone at the end of a fun camping trip. It was so much fun to be there with everyone!!

Fun with big machines.

This post is about yard work. Try to contain your excitement.

We were talking to our friends about how we wanted to bury our trampoline. Peter was explaining that we could rent an excavator for not much but he doesn't really know how, or want to run one. Well, Nick apparently loves that kind of stuff and offered to help. He was so excited he probably would have paid for it too!:)





We got our retaining wall built. Our yard is sloped so we had to make a flat spot for the tramp.

Nick "working" on the hole...notice in the corner, Peter lounging in a chair watching:)

He even took some time to give the kids a ride.

Putting the trampoline back together. Actually getting it in the hole and making sure it was level and had proper drainage etc... was suprisingly much harder than we were expecting.

All finished! The boys like to run from the side of the house and jump off the wall and flip onto the tramp. I have no doubt someone will end up breaking something at some point with that fun trick.