4th of July

Our 4th of July was pretty good this year. It would have been better if we didn't get any rain though! We started off our weekend by going down to my parents lake house on Friday. We had a great time going out on the boat, swimming and going tubing. We woke up to rain on Saturday and instead of staying for the day, we headed back home.

Going back home was not so bad because our cul de sac was having a party outside and the rain pretty much stopped by then. The kids loved all the fireworks that our neighbors were setting off. The also really loved staying up so late and playing outside in the dark. Lucas finally had a chance to check out the lightening bugs. The also were thrilled when the ice cream man (or what our kids call the Music Truck) came by at 9pm. They enjoyed their ice cream and then went to bed at 9:30 and then Bob and I got to spend the rest of the night outside with our neighbors.

Here are some pictures from our 4th of July weekend.......

HOT, HOT, HOT!

It has been so hot here in St. Louis the past 2 weeks or so (highs in the upper 90s most days). So, we have been staying inside a lot and trying to get in the water as much as possible.

Father's day was another hot day so we had to celebrate inside at Bob's parents house.

The 3 Dad's enjoying some wine.

The kids tried to spend some time outside with the help of some Popsicles. Here is a picture of the 4 older cousins (Lucas and Katy were napping).

We have been spending a lot of time at my parents lake house this summer. I took the kids twice within a few days for some day trips. My brother, Nicole and Avery were in town so it was great to see them and always so great to get the 3 cousins together (they just love Avery).

This past Saturday was a high of 98 but thankfully it didn't feel so hot in our friend Tre and Julie's pool. Bob and I are so thankful this year that Addison and Lucas are not afraid of the water and can doggie paddle, kick and tread water while wearing their life jackets. Bob and I can actually relax in the water a little which is a nice change from the past few summers.


The kids really enjoyed their pool side pizza picnic!

Then us adults decided to have a little fun...

CANNONBALL!!!

(Bob)

(Me)

(Julie)

(Tre)

Busy, busy, busy!

Last weekend was a PACKED and FUN weekend for all of us. It began with Friday night. Our neighbors hooked us up with free box seat tickets to Dora Live. The seats were amazing and the kids were so excited. Addison danced and clapped along and really enjoyed herself. Lucas did about as well as any 2 year old would do and he also had a great time. It was so much fun to take the kids to a special event like that (being free also made it even better).

Saturday we went to Bob's firm family picnic and this year it was bowling. It was so fun to take the kids for their first time bowling. They did pretty well during the first game but the second game started around nap/resting time so we decided to not continue to chase the kids around the bowling alley anymore. The kids loved the shoes and were so excited the whole time. They were not too thrilled about waiting so long for their next turn, but we manged.

After bowling, we dropped the kids off at Bob's parents for a sleep over and headed to the winery with our friends Tre and Julie for a celebration of Tre and Bob's birthdays in June. The weather was amazing and so was the wine. We all had a great time.

The weekend ended with our nephew Tyson's 6th bday party at a playground on Sunday. No pictures were taken....we were too busy running around after the kids. After the party we were so glad to be home for the rest of the day despite Bob finally getting a chance to mow the lawn (poor guy).

Catching up.

We have been staying pretty busy this summer so far. I have not posted in awhile so I will catch up now....

This past Saturday night I had 3 friends over from my parenting chat board (the 3 of the mom's that happen to live in St. Louis as well). We have become good friends and we were excited to get together again and all 9 kids (all age 2-4).

Here are 7 of the kids at the end of the night taking a cartoon break.

Some of the group enjoying our deck and really nice weather.

I could not believe that they sat so well at the table and colored together.

This past week I met my parents down at their lake house with the kids and spent the night and enjoyed a day on the boat and at the small beach there.

Papa enjoying the day with the kids....

I took a picture like this of the kids last year and just love it.

A week ago I went up to Chicago for Hendrix's (Marina and Corey's son) 1st birthday party. Our nephew Brendan's birthday party was the same weekend, so Bob stayed home with the kids to take them to that party and I flew to Chicago for a quick trip alone. Marina and Corey planned a great circus themed party and the weather turned out to be great. I know Marina appreciated me being there and helping out a bit like she did for both of our kids 1st bday parties. It was also great to kick back and have some quality time with Marina and I really enjoyed playing Rock Band too!!!

Happy Birthday to Hendrix....

He is getting close to learning how to walk.

The happy happy family!

Lots of playgrounds.

This week is Addison's last day of mini preschool. We are so excited for her to start regular preschool in the fall and Lucas will be able to start a mini preschool class in the fall as well. So I will have 2 hours to MYSELF on Wednesdays mornings. I can't even imagine what that is going to be like. Addison's new hobbies are playing with barbies and My Little Pony...who knew kids started playing with that stuff at the age of 3. Lucas is talking up a storm. He talks in full sentences and can have a real conversation. He also can do a somersault so well for a 2 year old. The kids are in a great phase right now of playing so well together. They build obstacle courses, pretend monsters are chasing them, pretend they are animals or that they are stuck in mud and they have to pull each other out. I sure hope they continue to play this well with each other for a long time.

We love this time of year. We have gotten a lot of rain but we have had an equal number of very nice spring days. This is the time of year that we go to a lot of playgrounds and pack a lot of picnics and visit the zoo often. Bob also loves this time of year since it is the start of many golf outings. We have to get out as much as we can in the spring because St. Louis summers are HOT!

Here are a few pictures from one of our trips to the playground last week......

He is not scared of much.

Florida.

Bob and I just got back from a great trip to Florida. Our friends Steve and Sarah were getting married in St. Pete Beach and of course we could not miss it. Bob has been friends with Steve since highschool and we were excited for the chance for a real vacation. So we went for a 5 day 4 night trip and stayed in a great condo right on the beach. We ate some really great food at some great restaurants (Bob loved all the fish and seafood). We drank like we were in college again and stayed out much later than normal and didn't get to sleep and relax as much as we planned. Bob and the guys went golfing one day, we did a little shopping and a lot of laying by the pool.

Funny story......we were at Steve's house one night before the wedding and Bob entertained everyone by running into the sliding glass door...I am still upset that I didn't get to see it but apparently it was hilarious by everyone that did get to see it. Bob was such a good sport about it (could have been that he was well on his way with the drinks).

I missed the kids a lot and thought about them probably more than I should have. I did keep my calls to "just" 3 times per day. The kids were in great hands with 2 nights with each of our parents....thanks again because this trip would not have been possible without you guys.

The view from our condo.

Bob and Steve (the groom).

Out to lunch at one of the great restaurants. We loved eating outside for just about every meal.

Me and Bob at the rehearsal dinner which was at Steve's dad and stepmom's house. Isn't that a great view from their house.

Bob and Kurt (he came in for the wedding from Korea where he is in the Army).

Bob doing a keg stand (of course none of the guys could pass up the chance).

Bob, Steve, Tre and Kurt....great friends since highshool.

Me and Bob after the wedding ceremony.

The wedding party.

Tre and Julie (they shared the condo with us...and a lot of drinks too).

Had to get a picture of the Florida sunset.

And another picture of the 4 guys after 4 nights of drinking together.