The first photo shoot!
Category Archives: Kids
Len Christmas in July, Year 3
This year our celebration was at Rose & Jim’s cottage on Houghton Lake. The weather started out a bit sketchy—chilly and windy—but within an hour it was absolutely gorgeous! It was a perfect day with lots of delicious food, fun watching the kids, a fun gift exchange, and conversation!
I’m only posting this picture because it’s the first “in the wild” picture of me that’s been taken and…I had ZERO idea who it was when I first saw it!
Hitting a box of $5 garage sale golf balls into the canal—well, trying to get them across the canal onto the island but not many made it there. 🙂
This happened quite a bit!
Katie wanted to fish…but only for about 32 seconds at a time and then she was off doing something else.
Alex caught the first fish!
Feeding the ducks off the back of the pontoon!
Going out to hunt for turtles for turtle races!
Apparently the tradition is to kiss the first fish you catch… What a sport!
At first, Katie wanted nothing to do with the boat—she didn’t even want someone to set her on the boat! But after the second trip she was jumping onto the boat herself and loving every minute of it! Owen loved it, too!
They caught a previously-caught-and-tagged turtle—no one here is C.B. 🙂
Owen said fishing was boring—we told him yes, it was. He’s used to fishing at the Fish Hatchery where the fish pretty much jump in your bucket. 🙂
Aubrey tagged her turtle!
I lined the kids up for their annual shot and didn’t even realize until afterward—when Aubrey pointed it out—that I did it wrong! She told me “I’m older than Owen!” And I agreed with her and then realized they had been in the wrong order!
Nick is 12, Owen is 7. Nick had the slight edge on Owen last summer and it looks very similar again this year…though I think Owen gained a very tiny bit on him. We didn’t set them on flat ground so we can’t be 100% sure.
In the right order! Katie (4), Owen (7), Aubrey (8), Gracie (10), and Nick (12).
All of the cousins: Jessica (an upcoming senior), Alex (an upcoming freshman), then Nick, Gracie, Aubrey, Owen, and Katie.
Maggie was FASCINATED with the turtles!
Marge gifted all us girls with one of her ostrich eggs!
Turtle races!
Trying to scoop up the golf balls that rolled in the canal!
It was exciting for everyone when Greg caught this huge dogfish! (Katie is still talking about it days later!)
We celebrated Katie’s birthday a day early!
And Aubrey’s two days early!
Uncle Timmy diving for turtles!!
The second run of turtle races (after they went out on the boat to get more turtles)!
Owen’s turtle winning the second race!
And a Then & Now throwback picture:
The swing that was actually a frisbee.
Grandma Jean bought a swing for the kids and wanted to put it up somewhere in the yard. Unfortunately, there aren’t any good tree branches for it to attach to but we winged it.
Katie was the only one able to swing on it—Grandma Jean and I were going to except it was a little too low and Owen tried but wasn’t serious about it and kept “falling” off.
So the swing wasn’t a huge success…as a swing…but Gramma saw the positive and said “At least I bought them a frisbee on a rope!” 🙂
I can’t remember the last time I had to wait in a line!
I guess that’s what happens when a small town theater gets a big movie on the opening day (Secret Life of Pets) and the weather is questionable (it was supposed to storm and it was getting dark and windy). As a sidenote, Owen completely freaked out about the weather and wanted to go home. We are not sure how or why he has become so freaked out about weather.
Unfortunately, we didn’t actually get to see the movie—there were so many people that by the time we made it in to look for seats there were none available (definitely not six together and pretty much only single seats here and there—people were even sitting in the aisles and on the steps). So we got our money back and decided to go another day.
Knight Owen
He repurposed two Burger King crowns into this…along with his new Ninjago shield.
The last pit stop…and almost home!
This is why she loves the family bathroom.
She loves sitting on the little seat. No, she doesn’t NEED to sit there but she loves it. (It’s to strap a little one in so they don’t run off or get into trouble.)
Who knew Pennsylvania meant pencils?
Driving through Pennsylvania, Owen says “I think I know why it’s called Pennsylvania. All the houses are made out of pencils.” 🙂
I have packing to do but this is more important.
Guess who wanted to snuggle again?
Katie started swim lessons at British Swim School one year ago today!
I’m amazed at how much she loves the water and how comfortable she is in the pool! She jumps in regularly (with and without goggles), does cannonballs (complete with holding her knees), and just taught herself to retrieve rings from the bottom of the pool. She turns four in a few days. #proudmama
These are all rehashed photos, but it’s what I posted on Facebook. 🙂
When snuggles turn into naps.
Mama, I want to snuggle with you.
Those are magic words for me and I’ll pretty much drop whatever I’m doing because I rarely get Katie snuggles these days. So it happened today. And then this happened.
Siiiiigh.
Kidisms 28
I accidentally got a speck of ketchup on Katie so I licked it off.
Katie: Awww. Now I have mama slobber.
Katie: Can I have a snack when we get home?
Me: It will be lunchtime.
Katie: BUT I WANT A SNACK.
Me: 😐
Katie was running around in her superhero Barbie cape.
Tom: Wow! Good jump! You jumped over Maggie!
Katie: Yes, because I’m a superhero!
We were at the library playground.
Owen: Mom, I know what I want to do.
Me: What?
Owen: Go over to the book and put my head in the hole for the caterpillar head and you can take a picture.
This just isn’t my kids right?
Since we had two days of rain over the holiday weekend, today I took the kids to the park where they pretty much sat there and played restaurant. Or did this.
As soon as we come home, what do they do? Run around the house like screaming banshees playing tag.
Kids.
Goofy kids going a bit stir crazy on this rainy 4th.
Other than a nice Saturday, the holiday weekend has otherwise been a bust—it’s been 65° and rainy for two days. Blah. Yes, the kids are still in their PJs at 4pm. 🙂
And a few minutes prior—I came downstairs to see this:
Today’s superheroes!
Family, fun, and fireworks!
We decided to try a new location for watching fireworks this year—the equestrian center just up the road.
Owen saw a first-grade friend so he played with us for a bit.
A perfect viewing ditsnce for the kids as it wasn’t loud enough to bother them!
Katie’s mermaid puzzle
We picked this out at Homegoods today. It’s for ages 6+ but with a little guidance, Katie did it!
Katie and Charlie
She’s definitely my daughter.
I don’t remember loving the pool (and water) this much at this age, but I know I did later on. She has to be my daughter. I’m actually amazed at everything she does in the pool. Even just two weeks ago she couldn’t get a ring that had sunk to the bottom of the pool and now she dives down no problem! And of course, she still jumps off the side like a crazy person!
Owen took the camera. He has no idea how to hold it and every single picture has his fingers or hand in it.
Let’s go to the movies!
A shirt from the shopping trip I had with my friend a few months ago (that I haven’t worn yet) and one of my new XS (!!) Lularoe maxi skirts!
It’s still feels a little weird to be “dressing up” just to go to the movies, but this is what I wanted—it’s not really dressing up, it’s just looking put together. 🙂
Getting ready to see Finding Dory and splurge on delicious hot buttered movie popcorn!
We are for sure going to miss this pool when we move next year.
We’ve been going about 3-4 times a week since it opened. The lifeguards even know us!
Today we got pretty new white and blue chairs (and umbrellas)!
I’m not sure where she learned to do this but I love it.
Trying to get a serious picture.
But being silly instead.
Wrapping up Owen’s baseball camp!
He’s been going to baseball camp every day from 9a – 2p and loving it! They play games while learning and practicing baseball skills. (He learned to bunt this week!) Today was the last day and they had a little wrap-up session where they handed out [dollar store] bases and trading cards to everyone.
Clickety clackity shoes!
I was cleaning and organizing in Katie’s room and as I was up and down the hall doing stuff, she came out with these shoes. She had seen them in her closet and, of course, wanted to wear them! Yes, ladies and gents, she found the tap shoes borrowed from the Beson cousins! I didn’t want her to wear them with bare feet (what she was going to do) so I dug out a pair of my knee-high stockings and oh man did she LOVE those!
Once I told her that they make noise, she started calling them her clickety clackity shoes. 🙂 (What did I call mine? Tippity tap shoes? Something like that?)
June photos are online!
Sometimes she naps.
She was watching a movie and cuddling with me when I realized she was much more still than normal. 🙂
Unfortunately I had to wake her up so we could go pick up Owen from baseball camp. 🙁
Mama! I’m sleeping with Charlie and daddy!
(Daddy is the Daddy Doll above her on the steps.)
I jokingly suggested a walk…and she agreed!
And this is how she was dressed for it. 🙂
We found a daisy!
Riding side saddle!
Friends + Pool + Pizza = Fun
We invited Katie’s classmate Mason (and family!) over for a pool and pizza play date! I took my waterproof camera to hopefully get a bunch of pictures, but I wasn’t in the water long since it always feels so cold to me. This was the only pic I got!
Mama, send this to daddy.
We had just dressed her mouse in her doll’s dress and she told me to send it to daddy. 🙂
Usually both are back there but Owen didn’t want to today.
