Mini golf!!

Jackson created a bucket list of things he wanted to accomplish this summer.  Miniature golf was on there, so we spent a morning by the river and mini golfed.  It was fun!  We did not keep score or count penalty strokes---just had fun trying to get the ball in the hole! 

My three loves!!

 It was a fun day!!  I think we're getting better...maybe!  :)

Country Livin'

So our house isn't technically "in the country" but it sure is close!  We don't have to drive 30 minutes to get to the grocery store or anything, but we are surrounded by wildlife we've not been used to.  There are coyotes and hawks in our "backyard".  We hear an owl as we fall asleep.  There are countless toads and rabbits running around and nibbling my plants and flowers.  We've had several creatures end up in our window wells!  (We really need to cover them up soon and not just say we're going to get around to it!!!)  This morning when we came downstairs to watch cartoons, I discovered a mouse in the window well!  EEEWWWW!!  These furry little creatures creep me out and I hate them!  Since being in this house, we've had some visitors.  When we bought the house there was a dead mouse in the well and that should have sent me running to a different house.  Oh well, we're here and we love our house and neighborhood, but I could really do with a few less visitors of the furry and four-legged kind!!

Three little friends in our window well!!  Ick!! 

The toads are trying to think of a way to escape!  Jump, toad, jump!!

A new adventure

I'll try almost anything once.  New foods (within reason), new adventures, new experiences, bring them on!  I canoed down the Zambezi River (twice!!) and lived to tell about it!  I want our boys to experience new things.  This past Sunday we went to our first demolition derby at our local fair.  It was our first time at the fair and our first time at the derby.  We had read a book about the smash up, crash up derby, so the boys were excited about it.  It was a really fun experience, althought it was quite loud!  (The pictures are from my phone, so not the best quality).

Waiting for the action to start

The cars are lined up for the first heat

A muddy mess----such fun!

Smash!  Crash!  Bam! 

It was quite a fun afternoon at the derby! 

The boys enjoyed it, we had fun, we tried something new....a fun afternoon!  :) 

Slip 'n' slide!

It was 100 degrees today, but it probably felt more like 115!  It was hot!!  Almost too hot to go outside, but we did venture out late this afternoon and put out the slip 'n' slide.  The boys had a great time!!  The cold water was a welcomed relief!

Jonathan

Joshua

Jackson

Brotherly love?

Nature Center

It was a hot day today, but we went out to a local nature center and had a great time!  The boys loved the butterfly house.  We also saw some animals, climbed up inside a silo, walked around a barn, and took a little hike around the pond.  It was a fun afternoon!

The butterflies were beautiful!  The boys kept hoping they would land on them.

Jackson lost a tooth this week!  Love his new smile!! 

A zebra butterfly---my favorite of the day

My cuties!!  Love these boys!! 

Beautiful!

What a gorgeous view! :)

Swim lessons 2012

We signed the boys up for swim lessons this summer.  I am not a swimmer, not even a little bit, but my hubby grew up with a pool in the backyard and is a great swimmer.  We both wanted our boys to be comfortable in the water and know how to swim.  Our local pool offers lessons for all ages and abilities.  The boys' lessons are all at the same time, so I get 30 glorious minutes to sit and read since they don't allow the parents to be near the pools.  The boys are all in different classes and they are enjoying their swim lessons!!  These are pictures I got on the first day.  (Parents are allowed to be closer and see what's going on the first day only). 

Joshua just got tested and is waiting for his wristband

Jackson's with the bigger kids! 

Jonathan getting his water belt strapped on

Little cutie on the wall

Jonathan doing the alligator walk and blowing bubbles

Jackson playing "What time is it, Mr. Fox?"

Bible Presentation

Our church recognizes students as they graduate kindergarten and get ready for first grade.  They have a Bible presentation, where each student gets his own Bible and the following Sunday they start first grade Sunday School, which is separate from the preschool Sunday School rooms.  It's a pretty big deal!  :)  Well, Jackson got his Bible today and it was very sweet! 

A special morning

Father and son sharing a moment before the presentation started

Shaking hands with the Sunday School workers before walking across the bridge

Looking up a Bible verse in his new Bible

All the kids holding up their Bibles and promising to ask mom and dad to read with them each night

So proud of my little man!

A Saturday together

Our weekends are pretty busy--soccer games, baseball practice, 31 parties, etc.  However, yesterday was a rare Saturday where our calendar was completely empty!  :)  We decided to head out to Lake Geneva and spend the day at the beach.  It was great!  The boys love the water and it was a nice and relaxing way to spend the day together.  We had a nice lunch, played for a few hours, had some ice cream, and then headed home for dinner and bedtime.  I love my family and days like this!!

My handsome hubby who is always the driver on road trips

Antics in the car!  And reading Waldo books in the back

Looking handsome in new sunglasses

My loves!

We take a picture by this water fountain each time we're here

The water was cold

A rare picture of the two of us

Playing follow the leader in the water

Looking at the boats and dreaming!

We had a great day!! 

Last day

Today marked the last day of my 11th year of teaching!! How did that happen?? Seems like just yesterday I was graduating from college and looking to start my teaching career. Wow!! Today was also my last day of teaching 5th grade. I was there for only a year. I'm sad about that---I really liked 5th grade. However, because of my teammates and a very uncomfortable team situation, I asked my principal to move me to a different grade level. Starting in the fall, I will be teaching 4th grade. I am excited about the change, excited about my new teammates, excited about a new beginning and looking to plant some roots in 4th grade! The boys have been on vacation with AW all week and they are loving time with their daddy. He took them to the pool this afternoon while I stayed home and nursed a bad sunburn. :( I am looking forward to many fun days home this summer with my boys! The first full day of vacation officially begins tomorrow!! Can't wait! I have lots of pictures that I need to get on here, too, but that will have to wait till tomorrow. The couch is calling my name. :)

He's FIVE!!

I can't believe our Josh celebrated his fifth birthday this weekend.  We decided to have a friend party and invite his pre-K class and have it at the local gym.  It was a great time!  I know our little guy had a great time with his friends and brothers.