Sticks always become fighting instruments:
Owen has been begging us to do the fireworks we have left (really just sparklers) so we finally got them out tonight.
‘Murica!
And we had a pooping dog leftover! Bonus!
And then a fire (with s’mores):
Category Archives: Playing
Plan B: A cousin water balloon fight!
When the weather gives you crappy beach days, you improvise at home!
Cousins: Izzy (almost 14), Owen (7.5), Anna (12), and Katie (4)
Our annual Kaliseum trip!
This is the look we got when we asked Katie if she wanted to try the waterslide. She wanted nothing to do with it—even though she went down it before and loved it.
And then she up and decided she wanted to do it—and couldn’t get enough! After the first few times down, she didn’t even want Tom there to catch her. She just swam over to the edge all on her own!
Sandy the penny pony ride!
Owen didn’t ride it but liked playing with it.
Birthday treats!
Dairy Queen (plus I got my Vacation Bucket List Blizzard!), the park, Pokemon hunting for Owen, splashing and throwing rocks in the river, a walk around the neighborhood with Gramma, and then a Gramma cuddle. 🙂
I thought she’d like sticking her feet in the river but she whined that it was TOO COLD! (It felt like bath water to me!)
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!” 🙂
Knight Owen
He repurposed two Burger King crowns into this…along with his new Ninjago shield.
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.
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!
Mama! I’m sleeping with Charlie and daddy!
(Daddy is the Daddy Doll above her on the steps.)
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. 🙂
Katie’s last day of Pre-k!
The Pre-K ends one day before the rest of the school and it’s their tradition to have a water day! Katie was SO excited to wear her ladybug bathing suit to school! Tom was home early for a doctor’s appointment so we were both able to attend the event!
Circle time!
One last morning Flight
Now that Owen will be out of school, we can’t go to the morning 6 and under times, so we went with the neighbors today. Katie has NO fear jumping off the ledge. It used to make me nervous but she’s an old pro now. I love these action shots.
Katie’s Pre-K end of year party!
The party was at Katie’s favorite park—the goose park. She was excited!
Watching the buses arrive with all the kids!
Happy girl!
Bubbles! (They had the same bubble machine we have!)
Walking to the lake with a classmate, Mason. They held hands the whole way. 🙂
Geese!
With Katie’s teacher Miss Heather, Heather’s daughter (Lola), and Mason.
On the way back!
Katie’s pre-k teacher friend Miss Katie. 🙂
I had a good time as well—I spent the morning hanging out and talking/getting to know Mason’s mom, Carolina. We’re about the same age, we got along well, and we set up a future pool play date!
The only bad thing is that Katie didn’t have school that afternoon because of the party!! 🙂
Making tracks with friends
Every now and again we go down to visit our neighbors when they’re out playing and today it was about when Owen was coming home from school. So this happened:
The girls were running back and forth bringing Owen pieces and helping attach them.
The finished project!
Heading home.
At a new neighborhood playground!
Actually, this was almost our playground. The other house we were considering was about three doors down.
Katie & Kayleigh
I watched a neighbor’s kid while she had an appointment. The girls had a blast.
Katie found a costume right away and wore it most of the afternoon.
We came back to our house to eat lunch.
It took about two hours for them to reach their limits (and mine LOL) before I turned the TV on. 🙂
We invited friends over to the pool today!
And this is what the pool normally looks like when we’re there…yes, our two kids were the only ones in the pool and we were the only two adults there. Love it!
Let me remind you what it looked like for the BBQ.
We stayed after they left and then I took these.
And then we had to walk home (since we rode down with our friends)!
Katie’s good behavior reward
She was good while I was shopping so her reward was time at the play area!
Memorial Day cookout at the pool!
Otherwise known as Day 3 of 3. 🙂
We had a super fun four hours at the pool for the Memorial Day Cookout! We were there as soon as they opened and it was GLORIOUSLY empty—and quiet—as we were the only ones there! (We were there so early because we know the pool gets CRAZY when they offer free food—everyone and their brother who never come to the pool all summer otherwise show up for the free burgers, chips, and pop 🙄 —and we wanted to be sure to get good seats.) The forecast had called for rain all day, so we were excited that the weather held out and was actually very nice. The sun even came out to warm things up just enough for me to take a quick dip in the pool and take some pics with the waterproof camera! It eventually clouded over but it never rained!
We made her get out of the pool and dry off because her lips were blue and she was very visibly shivering—even though she didn’t want to. Yep, she’s definitely my daughter—that’s exactly how I used to be!
After two towels and some snacks, she was ready to go again!
Katie and her friend Ainsley (they will be moving later this summer). 🙁
The huge crowd (which my pic doesn’t really even do justice)—which we will only see for the cookouts today, July 4th, and Labor Day.
If you leave a bag on the floor long enough…
Volleyball in the street!
I really can’t wait until we get a yard. But he has fun so…
Big shoes to fill. Or to play in.
He likes wearing our shoes just like Katie does!
Owen had a double play!
Unfortunately, daddy wasn’t there to see it as the garage door broke as we were pulling out of the driveway…so he had to stay and wait for the landlord.
Two of his at-bats (he struck out on his last attempt) and bringing a run in:
And I missed Owen’s best play because it was when he was playing third base and I never record in the outfield… But he caught a pop fly and then tagged a runner out on third! DOUBLE PLAY! The crowd went wild! He was SO excited and so happy!!
Katie was having fun on her scooter—she had never really used it before today and was very tents on it but got progressively better. She’s great about wearing her helmet and puts it on every time!
Chalk with neighbor friends
New bubble machine!
After going through 3-4 of the kiddie bubble machines over the years, we finally just bought a professional one. We’ll see how it goes for the long haul.
They’re getting better at this.
I don’t get as worried anymore that he’s going to drop her.
Loving the dough and crayons.
We ate at UNO Pizzeria and Grill for the first time yesterday—Katie loved playing with the dough. 🙂
