Cornbelly's

We took the kids to Cornbelly's during UEA for a day of fun.
The pictures don't really need captions so just enjoy our day of fun:)

Those are my boys...laying down in everyone's way. If I remember correctly they were laughing so hard they couldn't get up:)

Backyard

Guess what? We got our backyard done!! Well, done except the details like planting flowers etc... but 98% done!

First, this guy came to pour us a bigger patio.



Lexi and her friend Kate were fascinated with the cement truck.



Hadley playing on the new patio...and yes, that is grass you see AND fence posts! I forgot to get a pic with the fence done but you get the point.
Peter took all of UEA break off and we were able to get it all done.

View towards the other side.

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.

Some of Summer

ok, yes, I have been really bad at blogging. I should know that Facebook does not replace blogging and be better about it...I am just lazy:) But honestly people...why aren't you just on Facebook?

Plus, while I thoroughly enjoy my life, I just have a hard time believing that other people actually want to read about what we are doing...besides my Dad...cuz he is my Dad and is obligated to at least pretend he cares:)

So, because I am so far behind, and because I just always forget to take my camera places...here is just a snipit of our summer.









Swim lessons! A blissfull two weeks of stressful running around and yelling to get lunch, snacks, towells, sunscreen, goggles etc... packed and everyone out the door on time. But totally worth the lounging at the pool ALL day with friends. So much fun! No, really it was. and...I was super tan. It's already faded:(

Had to get this pic of Lexi being taken across the pool by one of her teachers named Devin. Who, according to the all the female lifeguards...had like, totally amazing abs:) Lexi and her friend, Amber, became his groupies this summer.

We went to the Children's Musuem.

I made the kids sit on a plastic horse.

Lexi and Amber found their career path.

The boys shot a PowerBar commercial.

Or maybe it was just a rock wall they played on. My memory is fuzzy.

Then, to make it really fun, I found these fun outfits to make them wear. Not sure why the 3yr old that should like dress up...is the one that looks really pissed about it.

My kids and Tanya's kids got together to make a lot of noise.

Oh yeah, Lexi had a scary night and we got to hang out in the hospital. Long story. In short...severe abdominal pain. then a super fast heart rate that they couldn't get down so they kept us overnight and scared the crap out of us with talks of follow ups with cardiologists and a bunch of scary jargon...and then all was fine.

But we got to color.

and put fun stickers all over her:) really, she is fine now. The pics were too cute to not put in:)

We showed some patriotism at the 4th of July parade.

This picture is for you T. Sorry it's not a good close-up.

We signed our kids up for the 'kids bowl free' program. They get 2 free games of bowling everyday, all summer long. But of course you still have to rent the shoes so we only went a few times. Plus, mine and Tanya's pride couldn't handle being beaten by a 3 & 4 year old anymore.

We jumped on the tramp and watched a hot air balloon go right over our house. It got so close and the kids thought it was the coolest thing ever. The boys jumped on their bikes and followed it around the neighborhood.

and yes, you are looking at the picture correctly...our backyard STILL isn't done. Don't judge me.

judge Peter...I did the front yard!

We spent our fair share of dollars here. I will say...I LOVE that our neighborhood has an icecream truck! It's just sooo....I don't know, but I love it.

And this was our first official GNO of the summer...a suprise dinner for Mandi's bday.... and now that's it's middle of september, we are planning the best GNO of the year...Breaking Dawn midnight premiere party!!


The end.

We really did a lot more this summer, and I have a few more posts up my sleeves(hopefully before next summer) and, I will try to be better about taking my camera with me....and blogging. probably not though.