HELLO FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!

So glad you've come to visit us today!! Please leave a comment so we know you've been by!

Friday, June 26, 2009

Zoo again!

We love being back close to family again! Between us going home, them coming here, and meeting halfway we really get to see each other quite a bit! We're three hours from home but the city is right in the middle. So sometimes we meet there for various things. Last week Mom and I met so we could get oil changes done and then go shopping. And early this week we met my parents so we could all take the kids to the zoo. (well, Kevin had to work) Since we didn't get to see nearly all of the zoo last time we were excited to go back! The main things we wanted to see were the aquarium, butterfly garden, elephants, giraffes, and the train ride. It was really nice because that side of the zoo really wasn't busy and crowded at all, and we could just take our time and eat lunch in peace. It was HOT, but we had enough breaks in the shade or on the train or inside a building or in a misting station that it made it bearable. And we sure had fun! Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Not sure what this first building was. It had a few fish, snacks, lizards, this fun Jeep, but most importantly a bathroom! First things first!
Nemo!
butterfly garden
here comes the train!!train ride!! Eli's ultimate favorite thing EVER. Hannah, however, didn't like it so much and cried every time the driver blew the horn. Even later in the day she'd start to cry again when she heard the train going by. Little sweetie.
short stop off the train to see the elephantsnow we're waiting for the train to come back to get us
proof that I was there too!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Pool Days

It's been HOT here this week with temps in the 90s and a heat index of over 100-degrees! Whew! So needless to say, we've been in the pool quite a bit, as in multiple times a day. This first time Hannah did NOT like it. The poor thing just sat in the middle of the pool and cried until I finally took her out. She had a blast just walking around and playing from the outside and drinking the pool water. And Eli, well, he's been waiting for the pool all summer! After my complete failed attempt at setting up this pool, I finally found the standard plastic one I was looking for in the first place. Turns out it's in the outdoor garden section of Walmart. Thanks to those who filled me in on that one, now we have a pool that I don't have to spend all day blowing up!
ready?
...and SPLASH!!
Eli's trying to help Hannah into the pool
This first pool day of the summer was on Saturday and finally yesterday I got Hannah to go in the water and have fun. I let the water warm up under the sun all afternoon and after adding a little bit of cold water back in, it was just right. I wanted to go in the water anyway, so I sat Hannah in my lap and after several minutes she finally felt comfortable enough to play off on her own. Such an easy way to have fun on a summer afternoon!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

A Happy Father's Day

Father's Day started with cinnamon rolls and over-easy/scrambled eggs for breakfast. Then we finished getting ready for church. At church they gave out gift bags for all the dads--it was really thoughtful! In it was a can of pop, a bottle of BBQ sauce, a bottle of chicken grill seasonings, a lighter, and two small candy bars. After church we picked up Subway to bring home for a quick lunch and then the kids were off to naps. We thought we were going to be productive during that time but we ended up taking a snoozer too. No better way to holiday! Right after naps we headed to our town village's annual Father's Day chicken BBQ. It's on the big town sign so we knew had to go check it out. And I'm glad we did because it turned out to be a lot of fun. We got there at 5 and ate a lovely picnic of BBQ chicken, cole slaw, rolls, and baked beans. Then we watched the kiddie tractor pulls. Eli wasn't quite big enough to try, but maybe next year! Then we got a funnel cake for a snack and then sat around to listen to a small community band play an outdoor concert. The kids were great at staying by us instead of wandering off, and as soon as they did start to go past their "boundaries" we left for home. We visited the cats at the barn for a little bit and the kids were off to bed. It was a nice day. Oh before afternoon nap we managed to get a few pictures outside...

While we were at it we tried for a family photo using our tripod.
Now today I'm making the blackberry cheese pie (Kevin's FAVORITE and a MUST-try!) that I had planned on making for Father's Day but ended up post-poning. Yumm...

Potty Training Update

Alright, here's where we're at with potty training now. Ever since this breakthrough day when Eli learned to go pee as soon as he sat on the potty, we can now go most of the day accident-free while he wears underwear. As long as I remind him to go every hour or so, he usually (but not always) goes every time and stays dry in between. Occasionally he'll start to go, tell me he needs to go potty, and finish there. He's really good about going poop on the potty and I guess yesterday when he was home with Kevin he sat on the potty all by himself without us saying anything, went poop, and then told Kevin about it! Amazing! He wears a pull-up for nap and bedtime and when we go places. That's the big thing we need to conquer is getting him to learn to go on different potties other than his own. He doesn't want to learn to pee standing up, and he doesn't even like when I put his little potty seat on the big toilet. So we just do a pull-up while we're out and sort of pretend that he's not potty training. Any tips for this?? Speaking of pull-ups I'm loving them for when we're out. Eli's too big for changing tables anymore and I absolutely CANNOT get a diaper on correctly with him standing up. So a pull-up is great. I haven't had time to really look at the price difference between diaper/pull-up but we may have to go back to just a diaper for nap and bedtime if it's considerably cheaper and save the pull-up for while we're out. So anyway, that's where we're at! Very happy with the progress!

Monday, June 22, 2009

Summer is here!

It's official! The kids have been running around in shorts and sandals every day, the AC is on, the kiddie pool is in full action, and the freezer is stocked with ice cream. It's SUMM-AH!

seriously beautiful.
I adore this face.and this one too.
HAPPY SUMMER, EVERYONE!!