I've been lax on posts lately. Sorry about that. It's summer (or feels like summer, even though Jacob has reminded me that according to the calendar, it is still technically spring). We are busy, and my mind just hasn't been on blogging. There's been a lot going on, though. I don't expect that will ever change. In fact, we seem to get busier as the kids get older. The more capable they are of doing things, the more we find to do! So here's a run down of what we've been up to:
Jacob and my dad celebrated their birthday on Tuesday June 5th. Jake turned 9 and Terry turned 73. Jacob had a birthday party with his school friends at Galactic Ice, a local ice skating rink, and we had dinner, cake and ice cream at home on Tuesday for the two of them.
Jacob, Anthony and Rachel sit in the stands for a while before hitting the ice themselves.
Pizza!
Maddie and Kiersten
Jacob's class is the loudest bunch of singers I have ever heard! Seriously! I don't think I have ever heard such and enthusiastic version of Happy Birthday before. All future renditions will pale in comparison.
Brooke and Andrew
Jake loves ice skating.
We don't know who this little girl was or who she belonged to. Andrew seems to be a little chick magnet, picking up girls where ever he goes!
My niece, Brooke.
"Happy Birthday, Big Brother!"
Pretty ugly cake, huh? Not only is the decorating on the pathetic side, but I also managed to mangle the cake all through the icing. Oh well, it tasted good, and that's what matters, right?!
73 and 9 years young, respectively.
Look at Jake eyeing up my dad's candles, just to make sure that he was able to blow them out! Such a good boy!
"Hey, Pap. I got some cash. What did you get?"
I don't typically get the boys gifts when it isn't their birthday. I think that they need to learn that it's not always about them and that it's good to celebrate someone else. BUT...the spider man toy was on clearance, so I grabbed a little gift for Andrew too, just this once.
The boys decorated a pot for Pap.
Jake was blindfolded for his big surprise gift. He had no idea that I got him a hamster. The video is below. Jake was truly surprised, but you have to keep in mind that he has my personality and Andrew is all Greg. While Jake is smiling and happy, it's actually Andrew you hear in the back ground squealing with excitement! It's the funniest thing ever. It really illustrates the difference in the boys' personalities so well. Jake is quietly smiling and Andrew is yelling, "A squirrel! A squirrel! Dad, can I see that squ..." and that's when Greg's hand goes over Andrew's mouth!
Andrew called the hamster a squirrel for a few days. He must have realized that it wasn't a squirrel, because now he calls it, "Jake's pet." Jake named her Lily.
My mom was afraid and kept her distance, but Greg's mom was a little more hands-on with the squirrel! :)
We also did some ice cube painting one day too. I had uploaded a video of the painting, but somehow it was erased, and frankly, I just don't have the patience to reload it.
I took some water color paints and mixed them with water in an ice cube tray then froze it.
Andrew had a good time playing with the cubes.
So proud of his art work!
Last year we had a membership to a pool that is literally less than a mile away from us. It was perfect. This year, however, the pool is undergoing some major repairs and is still not up and running. We talked about the membership and decided that we are going to forgo a pool pass this summer for several reasons. I'm really bummed about not having the pool membership. It was so easy and fun for the kids last year. Here's hoping that next year doesn't hold the same fate for us. But for this year, we will have to go to some public pools instead. We actually have several really nice public pools that are "kind of" near us. When I say "kind of," I mean that they are all about 30 minutes away. That wouldn't be so bad if Andrew wasn't still napping. He's nowhere ready to give up his naps yet either. On the few occasions I have tried to have him skip the nap, I have greatly regretted it. When the pools don't open til 12 and we have a 30 minute drive, it doesn't give us much actual swimming time before we have to leave for his nap. He sleeps until 4 or later most days, so going later in the afternoon isn't really an option either, because then we are getting into dinner and evening activities. Ah, I guess it'll be the back yard slip-n-slide for us this year!
These first two pictures are from a trip to one of the public pools last weekend. Andrew was tired and I knew I shouldn't take him on such a big venture, but I had already promised the boys a day at the pool. It started off well, but...
Within 30 minutes, Andrew got a wild hair up his ass about something known only to him. Try as I might, I was unable to lure him back into the world of pleasantry. After an additional 30 minutes of listening to him tantrum, I had to ask poor Jake to get out of the pool so I could take Andrew home for a nap. I felt really bad for Jake, but I had no choice. We're going to another pool with a friend tomorrow and I'm praying that we don't experience the same fate. If only they opened earlier...
Because we have no pool pass, I took Andrew out to get some backyard water supplies one day. We got a sprinkler that attaches to the hose, a blow up pool and a slip and slide. Actually, we have a really complex slip-n-slide that is pretty awesome, but a pain in the rear to assemble and disassemble, so I bought another super lame one, just for the sake of ease. The sprinkler attachment was an epic fail. First, Andrew freaked out because it was getting him wet. Again, I had a short video to show you all, but it wouldn't upload. Eventually, with some coaxing, he got used to the sprinkler and played for a little while. But then, as we were getting ready to put it all away, I noticed that the hose would not turn off. Something inside the piping broke. Greg was at work, so I had to call and wake up our neighbor's son, who graciously got out of bed, tore apart our hose fixture and turned the water off, drenching himself in the process. Now we have no hose. I guess our backyard water fun is at a temporary halt too!
We have gotten to spend a good deal of time on the pontoon boat. We took the boat out on Monday with the boys. My neighbor Sharon, who has an honorary seat at the front of the boat, came along too. We putzed around on the boat, docked for a little while to get ice cream and play at one of the playgrounds, and then got back in the boat, fished and swam some more. It's a nice way to spend the day, that's undeniable!
It's hard to eat a Sno Cone when you're swinging!
Greg and the boys tried to catch us dinner, but ultimately were unsuccessful. They caught a few, but not enough to feed us, so we had to throw them back. It's OK, they'll just grow a little bigger for our next trip out!
Andrew got to drive the boat, and took it very seriously!
And that's all the pictures I have for now. In the midst of all of that, I also had a very fun get together with the ladies I work with. A number of them came to my house last Friday and we drank away the stresses of the daily grind. We all agreed that we have to do that more often. I'm thinking a September gathering, after the stress of start-up has eased, is in order!
I also took Sam for his first grooming. The poor cat had beaucoup mats under his arms and legs. I was afraid I would hurt him, so I took him to a groomer and had him shaved. He handled it in stride, and she did a decent job. She got all the mats out, and you can't even tell he was shaved...unless he flips over...
The boys and I have a pool date tomorrow and we all have dinner plans with my sister-in-law and their family on Saturday. Sunday is Father's Day and who knows what Monday will bring! I have to work at least one day next week, and I'm hoping to also head to Pittsburgh to catch up with my friends for a day (if they ever confirm the date - Marsha, Norma, I'm talking to you!!!!). We also have two graduation parties, a trip to Lake Michigan and a camping trip with my college friends all planned within the next month! Squeeze in a couple days of work, a couple days on the pontoon boat, and day to day living, and I guarantee you that the summer is going to pass us by in the blink of an eye!
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