summer snapshot - week 6

the kids started taking lady on walks in the mornings, per my recommendation.

playing games.

i had the boys take down the posters in their room to get ready for the move.

there was a wounded bird that took refuge on the side of our house.
it provided great entertainment for the kids.
for a couple days they would go out and check on it, until it was gone and john said,
"mom, it's not there, a cat must have eaten it"
he was so nonchalant about the whole thing.
the way he said it gave me a good laugh, the boy does crack us up.

ella and i had gotten a tie dye kit back at the end of the school year.
she had her friend over to make some 4th of july shirts.
they did splatter ones and stripe ones, then wore them for the neighborhood 4th of july parade.

4th of july parade - first year we took lady.

she loved it and everyone loved her.

having cousins over after for a day of swim and basketball.

going out to eat downtown then to chris' office to see fireworks = very fun family outing.

lots and lots of swimming...thank goodness we have a pool- really gets us through the summer.

we go in every afternoon and mornings too if we don't have anything going on.

john continues to be a swimming maniac,

jumping off the side and diving board and then swimming to the side.

more mowing too.
the boys have been very good about doing it.
we went over to the new house one evening so the back would be shaded -
andrew mowed the back while the others went swimming.

more progress on the kitchen remodel/addition.
things are moving right along.

summer snapshot - week 5

john john learning how to swim by himself.
overnight, he turned into a little fish - he absolutely loves swimming.
jumping off the side doing a turn cannonball combination, constantly going under -
i just love watching him having so much fun and being so active in the water.

ella and john doing some 'school work' and playing games together.
john is so concentrated when he does worksheets, taking his time to color carefully.
i saw this in the little preschool he did this year (homeschool preschool-still need to post)
his 'teacher' would always comment on how meticulous he was with his work.
i just love how serious and calm he is while doing it...

the boys started a basketball camp this week that they have done for many years.
i think christopher has done it for 5 or 6 years, they love it and it's right down the street.
they go for an hour and a half everyday, perfect for just getting them out for a bit.
i didn't take any pictures of them there this week, so these are from last year.

the boys have been in the same age group for years but this year they are split up.
so, the go at different times - i think this is good for them this year.
last year christopher won the free throw contest on the final tournament day...

going to samurai comics for yu-gi-oh! cards, the boys are little encyclopedia's with these.
they got some as payment for mowing the lawns.

fresh salads for lunch.
christopher and i had blue cheese on ours, they were delicious,
and just hit the spot on a warm summer day.

getting tp'd.
there was a loud long knock on our door around 10 pm on friday night.
we had just tucked the kids in, and opened our door to find this:

we saw the car drive off and we spent the next 10 minutes trying to figure out who it was.
then realized it was our neighbors birthday and he was probably having a sleepover.
so, the boys walked down to tell them we had caught them.
i told the kids we could tp them back, andrew said 'perfect, they're going in the pool now'.
he was dying to do something - and so it went back and forth the next morning too...

then, they caught andrew the next morning -
they had already been down to our yard several times, checking on their work,
adding a little touch - i saw it all from the front window, our kids were still sleeping.
they would see me through the window, and then scooter/skateboard off down the street.

once andrew got caught, he joined their party - he is such a social kid.
they started playing 'chicken' in some of our neighbors front yards -
everyone lays in the front yard in a ball, someone rings the doorbell,
first one to get up is the 'chicken'.

they took john john along too - they had a lot of fun.
i actually loved that we knew right away who tp'd us - it made it so safe and fun.
back and forth in a friendly way, they're all good kids.

demo/construction started at the new house this week.
so exciting and busy!!

summer snapshot - week 4

i can't believe how fast these weeks are flying by.

last week, andrew was in a drama camp at school in the mornings.
he absolutely loved it.
he's got this hidden talent - acting.

i was blown away when i saw a play he was in at the end of the school year.

(still need to post on it).

on the last day of this camp, the kids put on a play - they did a great job...

here's what the other kids were up to while andrew was at drama camp:

playing games...the kids have done such a great job playing different ones with john.

uno seems to be his all time favorite this summer, but he's played many others with them.

fort building - they were determined to get lady in it and keep her in it for a very long time.

christopher mowed the front lawns at both the current and new house this week.
he never complains about mowing, and does a great job (first born = perfectionist:)
john and ella got in a good coloring session at the new house while he mowed.

ella took all the pictures out of my old outdated frames that have been up in the closet.
we donated the frames, and kept the pictures.
she has been so great with helping me clean things out and pack things up.
christopher and ella playing stratego.

christopher and john scootering out front and getting haircuts.
he and his friend going to an afternoon movie together -
first time i let him go with out me,
i stood there and watched them buy the popcorn (from a distance) and talked to several workers about it, lingering as long as i could - they had a lot of fun.

ella getting creative while making her sandwich - she likes to do that with food.
having friends over to sleepover- siblings, the boys were at their brothers' birthday party.
they decided to play 2 on 2 pool basketball - boys against girls, it was pretty funny,
they got really into it and there was a lot of laughing and monkeying around going on.

more busy running around and appointments for me with the remodel.
i feel like i have a full time job with it,
but the timing is great and it seems to be falling into place.
plus, it's literally about 3 minutes away from our current house,
so running over there all the time is easy.

14 years

today is our anniversary. i woke up to chris making this lovely breakfast.

and gifting me this beautiful orchid i've been drooling over.

i am one lucky lady.

14 years sounds like such a long time, but it has gone by so fast...

time flies when you're having fun, right?

the years have taken us through so many special and sometimes trying events.
college graduation, law school, having two children in law school.

having two more through the years of a demanding career, the loss of a parent, 

a remodel, running a business, and now we are smack dab in the middle of a major event -

moving to a new house and neighborhood after being in ours for the last 10 years.

planning another remodel, and making all the decisions that go with it (started this week!).

we have gone through the roller coaster of emotions that come along with a major change,

and although leaving our current house and neighborhood will be difficult,
we are all so excited for this new chapter in our lives together.

it is 'bitter sweet' - ella and i have talked a lot about this over the last few days.

we'll miss our old neighborhood, it's been so good to us these first 10 years of child rearing.

but we are all so excited and feel so blessed for this new adventure awaiting us.

we have found a home that will fit the needs of our family wonderfully as the kids grow.

and the neighborhood is filled with friends and family, it's an ideal situation.
truly a gift from God, and we feel so meant to be for us -
just as we felt our current house was for us at that time in our lives.

we've taken our time over the last few years, patiently searching, waiting for the right one.

and God has blessed us for our patience (wasn't always easy) -

"good things come to those who wait", yes i believe it's true.

we have taken our time in our lives together really examining major decisions,

so that we can do what is right for our family.

saving, planning, praying, and waiting for the right time to do something...

this has really paid off for us..."timing is everything".

these major events in our lives have brought immense joy and also difficulty at times,
and i am so thankful to have a man like mine to go through it all with.
my partner has been there and loved me through it all and i feel truly blessed.
yes, i am a lucky lady.

this morning before chris left for work, we were hugging tight -
little john john ran over and wrapped his arms around both of us.
then ella walked by, and we grabbed her into the group hug too.
so, i had to include this picture with john's goofy face,
as it reminded me of the scene from this morning and the love that surrounds us.

i love my husband, and i love my family -
thank you chris, for the last 14 years.
it has been wonderful and i can't wait to see what the next 14 have in store for us.