Park It!

We are so blessed to have so many things to do that are so near to us. Yesterday it was so nice and we had not been to this particular park yet this summer, so it seemed like a good thing to do.

The boys climbed the spider web. Hard for me to watch...it is pretty high. Davis wanted to get to the top so I could get a picture of all of them at the top. Thank heavens he decided to stay lower and let me take a picture of him there!

They cooled off in the splash park and rode their scooters. We went for a walk around a little pond area and saw some sort of a crane, muskrat, fish and ducks. The boys love to walk and look at nature. At first Carson did not want to go on the walk because he said, "Mom, you will find a pretty plant you like and want us to take a picture by it!" Oh he knows his momma!!

Connor did not want to go at first, but as you can tell from the pictures I think he had a pretty good time! If you notice he did not even want to bring his swimming suit. He was just going to sit and read his book...right!!! He did not even open the book. Just likes to make things difficult for him mom sometimes!

We have had a great summer. I have truly enjoyed being able to share all of these experiences with them!

Lake Fun

Yesterday we went to the lake house of some friends. The boys had such a good time. They got to swim, ride in the boat, ride on the tube and ride on the wave runner. The water was a little too rough for fishing. They were all exhausted by the time we got home.

Thanks Metzger's for a great time at the lake! The boys now think we need a place at the lake...boy wouldn't that be nice!

A Day at the Creek

One of our friends called and invited to join them at a creek they had discovered. When I asked the boys if they would want to go to a creek they excitedly said "YESSSS!" So off we went with swim trucks, crocs and buckets it hand! Let the exploring begin!

For three full hours we were there. The boys and Addison found water bugs, craw dads, baby cat fish (very little), minnows, saw a snake sunning himself, and saw a big frog that I am sure they would of caught if they could have gotten to him! They tried to build a dam and got pretty muddy doing it!

What fun for the boys to play and wade in the creek and discover all the excitement that a creek can offer! The best thing of all is that it did not cost us a dime and they cannot wait to go back!

New York

For my mom's 60th birthday, my sister and I wanted to take her somewhere she would never go herself. The location of choice was New York City! We had a blast. While there, we saw two Broadway shows, Mary Poppins, which was spectacular, and Mama Mia!, cannot go wrong with that one! If I lived close to NY and had money I think I would go see a show every weekend. There is truly something magical about a Broadway production.

We took a ferry boat out by Ellis Island to see the Statute of Liberty. Took a lot of pictures, just too bad it was an overcast day!
This is a picture of us in Central Park.

This is a memorial at a little church that was right next to Ground Zero. There were memorials for the fire fighters, memorials for the loved ones lost, flags with the name of all the victims, signs sent by children that were hung up in the church soon after the attack and are still hanging up. Very, very emotional. A must see if you are in New York.

John Lennon Imagine memorial in Central Park. Could not get the song out of my head!

Not a place I would ever want to live, but truly a fun place to visit! And a long weekend is plenty of time! Just take your walking shoes and money to spend!

Happy Belated Birthday Mom! I know it will be one none of us will forget!

Retirement

My last day of work was May 28. I had worked at the same company for 13 years. It was a major decision for me. I just kept thinking of all the things I would get done since I was no longer working! Well, I was wrong...sort of!

I am enjoying time with my boys. I am enjoying watching them be able to sleep in this summer. I am enjoying taking them to ALLLL their baseball games and practices with a snack in their tummy and not having to rush to get them and feeling guilty for leaving work early 3 or 4 times a week! I am enjoying taking them to the library to pick out books. I am enjoying preparing meals for them without being so rushed when I got home from work.

During the day I feel like I am constantly moving. I feel guilty for sitting down! There are so many things I would like to do, but feel like just doing the bare minimum can be overwhelming some days!

As you can tell, I still do not have a lot of time for blogging! What I have found is that in the evening used to be the time when I would run around like a crazy lady to get things done for the next day. However, since I am able to get things done during the day, I can sit down in the evenings and relax and not feel guilty.

We are all still adjusting, but so far so good! I am planning to cover another maternity leave from September - December, but just two days a week and I will be home when the boys get home!

This summer is flying by so fast! I wish it would slow down just a little!

Mini-Relay for Life

Instead of a "Field Day" at the end of the school year, Connor's school is now participating in a mini-relay for life. Every year they have a theme and each grade sets up a booth for the other children to visit. They have three rotations where they work, play and walk. They sale luminaries to raise money. This year the elementary raised $7,000.00! What a great learning experience for these kids! I love that the school is doing this! Everyone somehow, someway has been affected by cancer.

Memorial Day Weekend

This weekend, Dad finished the fort! It turned out so good. Now it just needs a coat of paint. Maybe that will be next weekend. Now the boys are figuring out what is needed on the inside. Dad already built a couple benches, corner table and hung some peg board. There is talk of a chalk board and cork board! Jim really did a great job!

Had a couple of fires, roasted hot dogs, marshmallows and assembled some smores!

We had some neighbors join us for a fire one evening, had some friends come stay with us before the race, but mostly just hung out as a family. It was a great weekend. We got a lot done around the house and really did not leave it much which I think was fine for all of us! We seem to always be go, go, go. So to stay home was a good adjustment!

Hope everyone had a nice long weekend!