Happy Birthday Jack!

6 years old!!  He is such a spunky, fun kid that makes our home a happier place!

Pumpkin Patch

 Some highlights from our pumpkin patch outing...

how did this happen??

When did Jack become old enough to start losing teeth!!??  That's right, his front bottom tooth is super loose and he is wiggling it like crazy (I think because Christian filled him in on the whole "get money" thing.)  I can't believe he is losing teeth and turning 6 next month. 

And Christian is beginning to play the trumpet!!  He had his first lesson already and owns his very own trumpet. 

And my little Anna says please and thank you and is also learning to jump.  Still no air yet but she is getting close! She also loves reading books together.  This one, Red Hat Blue Hat by Sandra Boyton is her favorite...

mommy and me time!

Anna and I have been enjoying some mommy and me classes this fall.  She is doing a tumbling class that is really fun...lots of climbing, rolling, jumping, hanging, and balancing.  

 

We're also doing a dancing class.  She gets to wear a tutu and dance to fun kiddie songs, play with a hula hoop, learn some new skills (like jumping, galloping, balancing on one foot), and loves the shaking all the foam balls off the parachute.  

I really love having a little girl!!!

firsts...

First day of kindergarten for Jack...

First day of soccer for Jack...

First day of fourth grade for Christian...

First day of pigtails for Anna...

Time is flying by!!!

my roomie!

My roommate from college and her twin sister, Lisa and Laura, were coming out to DC to visit and made a special side trip to see me!  I was excited to see my former roomie of two years.  It was great to catch up and reminisce.  I took her over to Broom's Bloom dairy for some yummy ice cream and we taught them to play one of our favorite games, Dominion.  We had a most excellent time visiting.  It had been too long!

This is one of our classics...

My little/big girl!

Anna is 18 months!!!  She went to see the doctor on Friday the 13th.  She is 22 lbs 11oz.  Still kind of a runt.  And 32 in. long.  Healthy and happy.  She had her first Sunday in nursery today and I didn't see anyone for the whole two hours so she must've done well!  They told me she was in awe the whole time just looking around and taking it all in.  She is saying all kinds of things, not very clearly but she definitely has sounds for things.  Some of her words include Daddy (her favorite word), hi, bye, please in sign language (thanks Mindy :) ), Jack, Christian, Mommy (sort of), milk or cup, dog, woof, mickey (as in the mouse), baby, bear...She loves dancing when music comes on, clapping when anything finishes, playing peek a boo (one her favorite things to do, she even says boo), when she gets really excited she either drops to the floor on her belly or if she is near a couch or pillow she slams her face/head against it repeatedly.  Its hilarious.  She is so cute and happy and lovable and it is so fun watching her grow.  :)

there's a snake in my boot!

Well, not in my boot...but next to my house!  We got home Saturday night to find a slithery snake gliding past us on our front walkway.  Matt has a "thing" about snakes.  Phobic.  So, he stood there shining the flashlight while I took these...

Then he said he'd take care of getting the kids to bed while I caught it in a paper bag that it easily wiggled into (sucker) and brought it across the street and up a ways to release into the wild near someone else's house.  I even got a good scare out of him when I returned with the bag and said I didn't let it go and pretended to shake it out toward him...hahahaha....  :-)

Check out the vacation photos!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=266122&id=546409477&l=3bc3c564c8

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=266135&id=546409477&l=89402a69b2

We did so much fun stuff on our 10 day vacation I just can't really sum it all up.  But highlights...Disneyland, Anna met some princesses and more importantly Mickey Mouse, LOVE THAT PLACE, Oceanside "The Main Attraction", family at Sammy's, a group of 27 (15 being kids) ordering and eating at a restaurant, coronado beach = gorgeous, Legoland, SeaWorld (soaked), Legoland Waterpark, street fair in Oceanside, Cali Surf Museum, Britany Hamilton's actual surfboard with the bite in it, Coldstone and the sytycd results w/ mom and sisters, Disneyland one more time, crappiest hotel experience ever! (two people walked into our room in the middle of the night having been assigned our room...yikes), fairly smooth 5 hour flights....home...laundry...jet lag...

it was there the whole time!

On Friday I was introduced to a little beach that is only 30 minutes from my house in Baltimore County.  It's only $3 to park for each person in your car not in a booster, ample parking, long row of large trees shading picnic tables w/ grills, a great little sand area, and a roped off swim area with no waves.  Lifeguards are on duty, there is a bath house and grill.  I just wish I had known about this little gem.  All that time I spent wishing to be at the ocean I could have gone to this (much less exciting, but still) little beach area.  The kids could enjoy it more than the ocean.  Christian was able to walk all the way out to the rope.  Jack was halfway out too and trying to swim all over.  Anna wasn't a huge fan of standing or sitting on the shore.  (Her friend Hazel was trying to show her how awesome it was.  She just wasn't having it.)  But she liked floating in her little raft we have.  We had a really fun time discovering this new place.  Hope to go back lots more this summer.

Fun on the Fourth

For the Fourth we (as usual) headed down to Purcellville, Virginia to the cabin at Baker's Acres.  It was hot and humid and there were a record number of gnats this year but one of the most fun years so far.  Anna was all decked out in her patriotic gear.  We did some swimming where Jack and Christian surprised us with there ease in the water.  They had a blast getting thrown around in there.  We did some of our own fireworks when it got darker. It was just a really fun day.