bright and early

It's 8:09am and we've been dressed, fed, on a walk, to the park and well, re-dressed already. Fortunately we got to enjoy some morning sunshine and some nature! And of course, the "babies" did too.

dear god...

thank you for this wonderful day....it was so great to spend the morning with friends. it was just, like, so, so, so, so, SO, SO, SO fun. thanks for the, ah, the, ah beautiful weather. thanks for a great, great, great time with good friends, like Tyler and Calvin and Elise and Kate and baby Lauren, and mom and dad and Emmett and Anna. Oops, I don't mean me (laughs), I just mean thanks for this day it was just so, so, so, so, SO fun. Amen.

(I think that was *almost* word for word Anna's prayer last night. I may have had a few things in the wrong order, but it is as close as I could get).

I couldn't agree more. What fun we had swimming with good friends! Thanks for hosting Allison, Tyler and Calvin - and for meeting us Sarah, Elise, Kate & Lauren!

cousins are fun!

For things like going to the zoo...

Sharing snacks...

Discovering tractors...

Feeding goats...

Admiring cozy sleeping babies...

Sliding on slides...

Running races...

Driving cars...

And so very much more! Thanks for a great day Patrick, Tanya, Tyson and Calvin!

hey now, i'm a rockstar

Anna and Emmett attended a birthday party this week for one of Anna's preschool friends whom she adored. It had a "rock star" theme and the girls (accompanied by 2 younger brothers who didn't want to leave) dressed up in rocker gear and danced and sang in the basement equipped with music, a disco ball, and a teenage sibling to choreograph.

Since the party Anna has be found many places (Target, the zoo, the backyard, and more) adorned in her rockstar glasses, her blowup pink guitar, rings, microphone, and most importantly - a green clip-on hair extension. Oh boy, does she love this hair extension.

After a fun filled day spent with cousins, Anna and Emmett were "rockin' out" with their bedtime snacks singing "HAVE A GREAT DAY!" this time with Emmett all dolled up. It's been an interesting (and LOUD) few days! Who knew that a rock star party would be such a hit!

we're baaaaaaack

Are you giving up the blog?

This is a question I have been asked several times over the course of the past 2 months - since our last post. And yes, I must admit I have considered it. But then, every now and then I find myself back at the computer looking at old pictures and remembering how nice it is to have a place to record all that is happening with our family.

It's been a busy summer. We've spent many days outdoors, enjoying the sunshine, pools, waterparks, beaches, playdates with friends and family, celebrating birthdays, visiting grandparents and uncles, aunts and cousins, riding bikes, playing in the sand, canoeing, having picnics and so much more.

We've had little scheduled in terms of camps and yet we have managed to fill each day with as much fresh air, sunshine and physical activity as we can. I must admit that there are many days when all of us are exhausted by the time the sun goes down! But, that's what summer is for. Every day is a constant reminder of how quickly our two babies are growing up and I am trying to enjoy as much of this time together as I can.

This morning as I sit writing, the windows in our house are all open and the fresh breezes of what feels like fall are blowing through. Soon these mornings will turn even cooler and Anna will head off to preschool for much of the day, almost every day. Emmett and I will start the activities we have planned in order to fill those spaces and create friendships and experiences new and special for him. And as excited as I am for these things ahead, I know it will be hard to say goodbye to the crazy days of summer and all of the fun activities we have shared.

Over the past two months I have been able to experience so many changes within our two children. Anna's independence grows with each day - from helping pick out clothes to buy for school, to going over to neighbor friend's houses independently, to writing stories and creating books and thinking through problems by herself. Emmett has grown from toddler to nearly preschooler as he fearlessly climbs to the top of every play structure, slides down the biggest slides, splashes in the water, makes friends, and speaks in full sentences.

The next several weeks promise to be filled with more adventures as we wind down what has been a wonderful summer. I am going to try to remember to pick up my camera more often and capture more of these moments in words and pictures - but if I don't, just know we'll be back here eventually...