Mornings at the Park

Our kids LOVE the park.  Any park really.  But this summer has been brutal in the heat department-- so bad that several days they've issued heat advisories and closed the POOL so that lifeguards aren't sitting out in it.  It's awful.

But, every once and a while we can get our stuff together and get out of the house before 8:30am and we can beat the heat for about an hour.  The kids love it when we can do this!  We get the park to ourselves, it's not crazy hot yet and they get to play to their hearts' content.

This particular park has gotten very parent friendly and has added several apparatuses to make things so easy.

My favorite is this new swing contraption where you (or your older children) can sit on one side and the baby can sit up in the baby swing.  Pump your legs and you're both swinging!  No more standing around behind the swing to push.  It's amazing.  It's even more amazing that my 6 year old can enjoy it with him while I sit in the shade and watch.  :)  

Happy Father's Day 2015

Happy Father's Day to this dad of almost 4!

Getting a picture with all three kids looking at the camera and looking even mildly amused is tough....I know 4 will be the end of it!

It's ok, the fun and the chaos is worth the pictures that don't turn out "perfect."  Though, I know Mike and I will look through all of these blog posts in 20+ years and agree that these pictures ARE perfect because they're just life.

The older two made a road map shirt for Mike this year.  He puts it on and they run their cars and trains along the trails they marked.  It's a win win!  They get to play with him and he gets a massage.  Everyone is happy.

First vs. Last

Here is Logan's first day of K-1 vs. her last day.  She grew a TON this year.  When we started planning our Disney trip in August of last year we measured both kids and started talking up rides they'd be able to go on.  We know she had to have grown at least 3 inches through the course of the year because by the time we went to Disney she was in an entire different riding bracket!  

Life With Boys

I'm learning a whole new dynamic having two boys in the house.  I grew up with a sister and a brother, so I'm all too familiar with the sister spats and the brother who enjoys teasing....but seeing two boys in action together is a novelty!

Our days are full of super heroes.  

They each seem to have a new favorite daily.  They run around wanting to save the day and fight each other.  

I'm also finding that messes are just a normal, everyday part of life.  And that child #3 does not like to wait for ANYTHING.

But there's so much fun in all of the energy and excitement that those boys bring.  Trips to the park where we scale dangerous mountains (slides)....

Or sword fight with anything and everything.  (Zucchini on this particular Target trip)

Mud is also new territory for me.  They love to create it and splash in it.  Something their older sister wanted nothing to do with.

But, oh, those sweet moments when you know that you're the only woman in their life (for now).  What treasures.  

They're messy and loud and don't think much of injuries and blood, but it's worth every single second of insanity.  I wonder if we'll be adding another boy to our bunch or if we'll even things out with another precious little girl....only a few more weeks!

Hilton Head 2015

After our week at Disney, we packed up the car and headed about halfway home to Hilton Head Island, SC for another week with the other side of our family!  It was a fun get together because we got to meet all of our new family now that Papa and Grandma Deb have tied the knot.  

Brody was very excited to see a pool when we arrived.

I think everyone was happy.

Especially this little fish who you had to drag out of the pool at the end of the day!  Some days she would swim for 5-6 hours.

It was fun getting to hang out with new cousins, Logan and Layla bonded very quickly (they're a year apart) and it was hard to separate them.

The kids all loved the park we took them to on the second day of our trip.

 That night, we all dressed up in our blues and whites and headed to the beach to take an updated family picture.

Logan had a lot of fun with her new Aunts and Uncles who spent a lot of time on the beach with her building castles.  

What did I tell you about the pool?  

 On our last day, several of us took the older kids on a pirate ship where they got to help search for treasure and destroy a bad guy.  It was so much fun for them!

It was Brody's first time out on a boat and he was a little nervous, so he spent a lot of time right near momma.

But every once and a while he'd venture back out with the other kids.

Our last morning brought sweet goodbyes from these girls.  They had so much fun together it was sad to have to say goodbye.  But it's also fun that they have each other to hang out with, now, at family gatherings.  

I don't know when we'll all be in the same place, again, but it was a great time!