Getting ready for Kindergarten

Kevin starts school next week!  I cannot believe how quick this summer has gone by.  We've had so much fun, but now it's time to scale things back - get to bed early, get up early, blah!

I think we are all set for school.  Kevin's teacher's name is Miss Cuthbertson.  We met her last spring, but will go to school the night before it starts for an ice cream social and to drop off all his supplies.  He has a new shirt (super heros) all picked out for his first day.  Yesterday he told me that he wants just Dad to take him to the bus stop, not me & Katie.  I guess I will have to get the cute photo op on our front porch before Nate walks him down the street - but I'll definitely be standing in the driveway even if he tells me not to!

We stopped by the elementary school yesterday morning to drop off the last of the paperwork needed for registration and had time to play on the playground.  I can't believe I caught this on video - enjoy!

Minnesota reunion

We just returned from a trip to see Nate's family in Spicer, Minnesota.  We had a great time!

The kids spent time with all of Nate's cousin's kids - there were a lot of kids.  Never a dull moment, but so much fun.  The kids played at Aunt Linda's all day long (which made for a super easy, drama-free bed time).  There was tons of time spent swimming, fishing, boating, tubing, playing in the sandbox & swimming in the hammocks.  The kids also enjoy all of Linda's toys, especially her retro Star Wars toys.

This is the view from Aunt Linda's yard (George Lake)

Katie bonded with Uncle Scott while eating s'mores around the campfire on our last night.  She is wearing sunglasses because she thought the fire was too bright!  Silly.

Cousins! (Gracie-6, Katie-2, Ava-8, Kevin-5, Zoe-8, Isabel-2) and this is not even all the kids.

 Kevin was not afraid of tubing at all!  He LOVED it!

Family paddle boat ride was my favorite part :)

BUSY in Chicago

Every time we return from a visit to Chicago, I wish we had some more pictures to document how much fun we had!  We were busy, as usual.

Cousin Lori & Ethan were also there and it was great to spend time together.  Ethan went to his first movie, Madagascar 3.  We spent loads of time at the new aquatic center and ended the week with a visit to a carnival.  We visited Karen in Naperville and met her 3 week old baby girl, we spent lots of time with Becky and her family in Naperville too.  I even managed to sneak away for an evening downtown with my girlfriends :)

Katie skipped her nap most days because there was just too much fun to be had.  We learned that is the best way to have her sleep sound for over 12 hours a night!

Family tree

We hosted a family bbq a few weeks ago and we were finally able to gather all 5 great-grandchildren with Jimmie & Thelma for this picture.  This pic will be added to our family wall of pictures going up the staircase at our house :)

From left to right:  James (3yrs), Kevin (5yrs), Tyler (9mos), Thelma, Isabel (2yrs), Jimmie, Katie (2yrs).

Safety Town

As a right of passage, most kids in our area attend Safety Town the summer before Kindergarten.  Kevin had a blast!  They road the bus across town to the police station and fire station.  On the last day they had a "graduation" ceremony where the kids showcased what they learned.  Our friend Garrison came with me and he knew Officer Weatherall from when he went to Safety Town 7 years earlier.  All 3 kids got a picture with officer.
Yes, safe to say, I hope this is the only time Kevin is on a first name basis with a police officer.

4th of July

Lookin' cool on the HOT 4th of July.  The kids picked up so much candy at the Urbandale parade!

June - phew!

So, there is this moment at the end of the school year where all the moms panic:  OMG, it's summer - what will I do with them everyday?  

Well, no need to worry.  We have been very busy (hence my lack of blog posts).

There was the Principal Charity Classic golf tournament.  Kevin was given a ball by one of the tour players (who asked if he was bored!)  Both kids enjoyed hours at the Principal Family Fun tent.  There were bounce houses, face painting, snacks, fire trucks, crafts & more.  Katie skipped her nap that day and we had both kids to bed by 7PM.  Nate and I enjoyed a bottle of wine on our new deck - yeah us!

 Tell me again - why did I think it was a good idea to enroll both kids for swim lessons at the exact same time?  I thought it would be efficient and I could handle it during the day so we would not have to rush to the pool when Nate came home from work.  Kevin LOVES swim lessons.  We have him in private lessons for the second summer in a row and with the same teacher, Miss Kala.  He's made great progress (strong kicks, big scoops is what we say).  One day in to Katie's class I realize that it will be a challenge.  Katie enjoys the pool - but on her own terms.  She in no way whatsoever wants to be held, assisted, coached or touched by me or anyone when she is in the pool.  This is impossible when the class is held in the deep end of the pool and I'm expected to lovingly hold my child while we all sing songs.  Not happening.  About 5 minutes in to each class she starts screaming & points to the shallow end as she yells for me to put her down.  We stuck it out for the first week of lessons, but this week we are skipping Katie's class to watch Kevin.

We LOVE our town's pool.  We have a season pass and swim there regularly.  Most of the lifeguards know Kevin by name and he thinks it cool to chat with the highschool & college kids.  One of our favorite things to do is go there in the evenings once Nate is home.  We found a floatie that Katie will wear and she can play in the deep end (of the kiddie pool) with us all evening.  Crisis averted.

Camp.  At first Kevin will be shy, but after one day of camp, he loves it!  The counselor painted his face on the last day.  A few weeks ago he went to a 1/2 day camp at a local park where they played in the creek, chased bugs, rode bikes, tie-died, and painted rocks.  Fun, right?!  This week he's in cooking camp at the Y.  Yesterday the kids make pizzas.  He enjoys running around with his friends and I enjoy a few hours of quiet.  On a perfect day, Kevin is at camp and I can get Katie to nap at the same time (It's a win-win)!  After 6 hours - you can sort of see that this was Batman:

 Father's Day - I surprised Nate (and Kevin) with a new tent and sleeping bag.  Nate and Kevin have enjoyed a few campouts so far and we hope it's a tradition that continues.  Katie hasn't been invited yet, but soon.

Cute Father's Day message that Kevin made:

Baseball.  Kevin's league plays every Sunday afternoon.  They have a 30 minute practice followed by a "game".  By "game" it means every child bats once then they take a turn in the field.

 They posed for pictures after the practice, all the kids were sweaty. Kevin says this makes him look tough!

 Team photo, cute!

VBC.  I don't have pictures of this fun event, but our family continued the tradition of Vacation Bible Camp.  Kevin was a camper, Nate and I were volunteers and Katie played in the nursery with a few other little sisters.  Nate was assigned to help Kevin's grade, I was assigned to 3rd graders.  We all had a fun, but exhausting week.  Camp was held each night from 5:30 to 8:00.  These were late nights for Katie, but she seemed to love the music and excitement of being with all the kids.

On to July!  We look forward to a fun 4th of July celebration with friends and we're taking a trip to Chicago.  Happy Summer!