Water Slide Play Date!

So this water slide is getting some serious use this summer. I would say it was a great investment. We had some friends over this week and the kids had a blast. We'll be pulling it out again soon I'm sure!

Millions of peaches.....

This week we went peach picking! Luckily we chose the one day of the week that wasn't swelteringly hot! It was a nice outing and we got a lot of peaches! So today we spent the day doing some canning! This was my first time picking peaches and I will definitely go again. They taste sooo much better than in the store and Ethan had a great time, although he apparently doesn't really like to eat them very much. Avery on the other hand was trying to eat every one she saw! I was glad my mom was here to help me out with my first attempt at canning!

For all of you who remember the Flying Squirrel

For all of you who remember the Flying Squirrel (you know who you are). This is Jay's signature dive - and Ethan keeping up with dad!

Yes another pool post....

Yet another happy day at the pool!

Super Hero Birthday Training Camp!!

For Ethan's 4th Birthday he wanted a Super Hero Birthday. So we decided to make the party a "Super Hero Training Camp" and have various training activities every super hero should be able to do and then reward our little super heros with the gear they will need. So test #1 was to help them practice their aim - we posted pictures of good guys and bad guys on the wall and they had to run out from the side and quickly hit only the bad guys with water balloons or silly string. The kids loved this !

For competing this, they got their very own Super Hero Cape, complete with their initial. (Thanks mom for helping me make these!)

The next test was a fast paced game of "Red Light, Green Light" to test their speed. We also added in a disco light, during which everyone had to do a disco dance - this was hilarious!

So the kids got their Super Masks to help them with their X-Ray vision.

And the last test came when we dropped a bunch of balloons off the balcony and the kids had to use their super strength to pop them. They popped easier than I had anticipated, but the kids still had fun!

Then we did food, presents and of course, cake! Ethan insisted that the cake had to be a Super Hero Race Car cake because last year's cake had racecars. So here's my attempt at a Super Hero Racecar cake. The big silver thing was supposed to be a skyscraper, but this turned out to be harder than I anticipated!



And last, but not least, the kids played on the Super Water Slide. We all had a great time - thanks to all of Ethan's friends who made this such a fun and special day for him! He will be talking about this for a long time!

Before this day, Avery was only doing the commando crawl. I was beginning to doubt whether she would ever crawl on her knees because she seemed to think she could get everywhere she needs to go with her tummy crawl. But this day she started crawling on her knees and is loving it! She is so funny though because I think the wood floors upstairs hurt her knees so she has developed this funny bum up in the air, one knee crawl - she looks a little like a tarantula. I'll have to get a video. She is getting so big and her little personality is coming out more and more! She has made alot of progress these past weeks. I think she just wanted to show off for nana because as soon as nana got here, she did the real crawl and started pulling to stand.

Ethan's Swimming Skills

I am so proud of Ethan and his swimming skills! He is doing so good and just loves the water. We haven't done swimming lessons for about a year and a half and I think I will put him in a class in the fall. He has made so much progress this summer even without lessons.

Summer is for Swimming!

Nana's here visiting and with how hot it is, we have been going to the pool as much as possible. Ethan is getting to be such a great swimmer! The other day he swam across the whole pool! Unfortunately I didn't capture it on video, but I will try to get a video next time. I love summer and spending everyday at the pool and am amazed how fast this summer is going by! We only have a little over a month of pool time left!

4th of July Fireworks 2010

For fireworks this year we stayed close to home and met up with some friends for this fireworks show. It was perfect and the kids had alot of fun, though it was a little loud for Avery! Ethan on the other hand couldn't get enough.

A Serious Mess

Avery + Spaghetti + Blue Gogurt=

Maxin' and Relaxin'

So a few nights ago, I went out to a movie with a friend (it may have been my second viewing of Eclipse, but I would never admit to that - thanks Jill!). My mom is here visiting, so she stayed home with the kids. So when I get home around 11:30 I walk in and see Ethan laying on the floor, watching cartoons, and eating popcorn! So I say "What are you doing buddy!" He looks at me and says, "I'm just maxin' and relaxin'!" I was dying. First of all, Nana is obviously a push over! No wonder he loves having her here to visit! And secondly, it is just so funny how much he is such a product of his dad - he says all the same sayings, and anyone who knows Jay knows that he has a bunch of silly sayings. The other night at dinner, we were asking him "What's mommy's real name?" and he says "Sherri", then "What's daddy's real name?" and without hesitation he says "Cool!" He has been brainwashed! Ethan is just so much fun and makes our home so happy. We are so grateful to have him!

4th Of July

We had some friends over for the 4th of July for a barbecue and it was so much fun! Holidays are so much more fun and exciting with kids around! We ate, set up our new inflatable water slide for the kids and did some fireworks. The kids loved it!

Project of the Week Update!

So Project of the Week is ongoing, and one project has been the focus of a few weeks of work - doing something with our downstairs patio area. When we moved in this is what it looked like:

We weighed all our options and after consulting some contractors and realizing how much patios can cost, we decided to try to do this ourselves "Design on a Dime"style. So we shovelled out all the grave, layed some concrete pavers, filled in with the gravel and put down sod the rest of the way.

Here's the finished product - the sod needs to grow in and then it will blend with the grass and look a little better. But Ethan loves that he can walk barefoot outside to his sandbox without killing his feet. One project down, many more to go!

Play Date Slip 'n Slide Style!

We had a bunch of friends over a few weeks back for some slip 'n slide fun and the kids had such a great time! Thanks for coming everyone!

Pool Days

Ethan is seriously a fearless little guy! He is doing so great with swimming and can just about keep himself afloat without any help or floaties. Right now his favorite thing is to "practice his cannonballs". He could spend all day jumping in, and swimming back to the wall (with some assistance).
Avery likes the water too, but I think next year will be alot easier with her!

This is our new pool and I am loving it because it has this big shallow, beach entry area where Ethan can just play for hours with his little friends.

I LOVE summer! It is the best time of year and we are loving spending our days at the pool with friends, barbecuing, playing in the sprinkler, going to the park on less humid days and just being outside!