Our 9 year anniversary

I didn't realize I hadn't put anything on since our trip! So here are a few things we did over the summer!

Rich and I went to dinner at Michaels for our anniversary. My mom had taken the kids to Planet Pizza for my cousins family going away party. They are from Illinois and came to visit their grandpa and grandma..so we had a farwell party. We came to Planet Pizza after our dinner. Rich bought me roses, and I bought him a "manly" bouquet of flowers. They even smelled masculine.

 

The girls put so much work into this! They had Rich and I go to our room and wait! They taped it to the outside of our door. They had 9 of everything. 9 hearts, 9 stickers, 9 flowers. It was soo thoughtful! The best gift ever!! Julia also got us a teddy bear.

 

 

Homemade gifts are the best gifts! These girls are the BEST!!!

 

4th of July weekend

We went to my dad's cabin in New Town for the 4th of July. We got there pretty late on the 3rd..so we made smores and the girls drove Golf Carts. We stayed over and the next day my uncle Dave and his family came from Hampden. Aydan really likes playing with Tanner! He couldn't remember his name for the longest time...but would call him the boy that was 5. We stayed until the afternoon and then we came back home to Minot.

 

My Keathan! (of course in Toy Story!!)

 

The view with the kids...Keathan did NOT want to take a picture. He wanted to hold the camera instead. Hmmm...another photographer in the family???

 

 

Golf carts are the biggest hit at Grandpa's cabin in New Town! Julia and Alyse love driving them. I even let Aydan drive while sitting on my lap. Uncle Dave took the boys a bit further than the usual dirt road. They had a good time being boys!!

 

Just hanging out with 2nd cousins. My uncle Dave has 2 kids..Tanner is 5 and Sydney is 2. Tanner and Aydan loved playing together. Aydan is almost the same size as Tanner and they both LOVE Thomas the train! Keathan would chase after them saying "wait for me..." Keathan liked to snuggle up with Sydney when the other boys would run away from him!

 

Fireworks at Grandpa's house. Keathan had fallen asleep so Rich stayed home with him. I took the other kids out to my dad's house in Minot to shoot off fireworks. Aydan did sparklers for the 1st time. He was happy to see Tanner again. They oo-ed and ahhh-ed at all the pretty fireworks.

 

Zoo trip with 7 kids and 1 adult

One beautiful summer day, I thought it would be fun to take the kids to see the animals at the zoo. With my Expedition filled to maximum capacity, a diaper bag filled with waters and snacks, a double stroller, and plenty of sunscreen...we ventured to the zoo! At one point I texted Janna and Rich and said..."I wonder how long it will take for them to realize there are 7 of them and only 1 me. They can overpower me in a matter of seconds!" Julia was also a HUGE help! 5 kids under the age of 3 was alot of work! Luckily they are all really good kids (when they want to be!) and we had an enjoyable afternoon!

 

Toy Story 3

The boys LOVE Toy Story! And when I say love, I mean obsessed. They eat and breathe it. (and really eat it..you can buy Toy Story Mac N Cheese, Gummies, Soup, etc...) Julia loved it too when it first came out! I just wish we could of kept the toys that Julia had, now we have repurchased the well marketed Toy Story line of toys, movies, bedroom decor, and clothing. Keathan's favorite outfit is his Toy Story shorts, matching t-shirt or tank top, Toy Story underwear, and Toy Story Sandals. Head to toe Toy Story!!! Mom and Barry joined us as we went to Toy Story 3 3D. I was a little concerned about Keathan keeping the glasses on, but he did fine. The boys did musical chairs through most of the movie, rotating between me, Rich, and Grandma. Keathan ended up falling alseep on my lap during the last 45 minutes of the movie since it was his nap time. Aydan LOVED the movie!!! It was a good way to end the series. We all enjoyed the afternoon together.

 

Leia and Keathan love giving each other hugs. This hug turned into a slow dance..with no music! They danced long enough for me to get my camera!!! How cute is this!!!??

 

He is so stinking cute!

 

Now that he's 4...Aydan HAS to poop on the toilet. No more sneaking diapers from Keathan. After not going for a week, Rich and I finally got him to use the toilet! HOORAY!!! Now he gets to sleep at Grandma's house!

 

So Keathan has been watching all of our practice and motivation with Aydan over the past year. (Aydan has been peeing in the toilet since his 3rd birthday but #2 was a different story) So on the same day....Keathan peed and POOPED in the toilet. Way to steal Aydan's thunder! Aydan was so depressed! I wonder if this is how it is always going to be? They are already so competitive!!

 

1st Day of School August 2010

Julia is a 7th Grader at Jim Hill. She is NOT thrilled about school starting today. She has the back to school butterflies. She goes from 7:45-3:15 everyday, and volleyball practice starts today. She will be in for a real shock when she has to be up every morning by 6:45 and wont come home until after 6:30. So much for sleeping in until 11!! One of her best friends, Caitlyn, will also be going to Jim Hill this year. Caitlyn lives 3 houses down from ours and is a 6th grader. They have been friends for YEARS! This will be the 1st time they will share a school, since Caitlyn went to Edison while we went to Washington. (we are in between 2 districts so we have the option to choose). I am hoping Julia warms up to a new school year quickly.

 

 

Alyse on the other hand is soo ready for school. We went to her orientation yesterday and met her teacher Mrs. Petry. We are saying positive things about this school year, as Alyse really wanted 2 other teachers instead. We are making the most out of it and really believe that this year will be GREAT!!! She picked out her desk right in the front and neatly put everything away. Despite how messy their rooms are...their desks are SPOTLESS! Alyse was bright eyed at 7:30 this morning..ready to see her friends again!

 

more photoshop fun

 

 

 

 

Fun with Photoshop and collages

I'm trying out a new photo editing program I bought. Alot of fun..but I'm still learning!

 

 

 

Playing with birthday toys!

We were home about a minute before I had to open all the Geo Trax and put together a track. Keathan had fallen asleep so Aydan got to play with his new toys without hiding-playing keep away-from Keathan. He finally got to enjoy his new toys in his room! That was the best gift Keathan could of given him...or to us! It was so nice not being a referee!!

 

 

 

Happy 4th Birthday Aydan!!

We had Aydan's birthday party at Splashdown Waterpark. Jolene's kids and Leia celebrated with Aydan. The kids had so much fun going down the slides and swimming. I made Aydan's Toy Story birthday cake. He was THRILLED to have Rex and Slinky Dog on his cake. He got alot of presents, mostly trains! After he opened his presents, everyone else went back to swim, he just looked at his presents and said he wanted to go home and play. He had ALOT of fun! Keathan is having a hard time with birthdays, as he doesnt understand why Aydan got all these new cool toys and he can't play with them. Keathan asks me all day...."Keathan birthday? Keathan Birthday?". Not yet buddy....I'm not ready for Keathan to be 3. And in all honestly, I'm not ready for Aydan to be 4 either. Wasn't he just born?!?

 

 

 

 

Summer Pictures