Lagoon

We promised the kids we'd do Lagoon this summer and it just never happened. We had baseball for so long that took up most of our free nights. And, of course, we had to coordinate around Greg's work schedule. But school started and the kids were quick to remind me that I hadn't made good on my promise. Greg, very coincidentally, brought home a Walgreen's Employee discount pass for Lagoon. It allowed 8 people to get into Lagoon at half off prices. So we called up our friends Sara and Richard and invited them to come along. We actually had 10 people in our group, but we didn't count our 2 babies. So we all got in for half the price. Now I do like Lagoon a lot, but I mean come on! Who do they think they are, Disneyland?? They charge so much. I remember when I was a kid you could get in for $12 with a can of Coke. Anyway, we went. On a school night. We picked the kids up from school on Wednesday and headed north straight from there. We got there around 3:30 and met up with the Haralsons and had a fun day. I was trying my hardest to convince the older boys to do some more adventurous rides with me, like Wicked and Colossus. But they were not up for it. STILL! I certainly have cautious kids when it comes to amusement parks. Now, ride down the hill of our street with no hands on the handle bars or trying to stand up on the seat all without a helmet seems to be no problem for them. So we spent a good chunk of the day doing the kiddie rides, much to my annoyance. But finally Sara and I had had enough and left the kids with Daddies and went for some fun. Thanks for coming Haralsons!

Candid moments with Sara and Richard.

Greg trying to convince Nathan that "The Bat" isn't as bad as he thinks.

YES more teachers, YES more books!

Good riddance hot summer!! I apologize to anyone who loves summer, but it's not my cup of cocoa. There are good qualities to summer, don't get me wrong. I enjoy family hikes, sleeping in, vacations, summer nights, and spontaneous trips. But by the end of the 3 months of all that luxury, it's time for routine and structure. I had a friend discuss the benefits of year round school that her kids do. They have 2 six week vacations in the year, with longer holidays. I thought that might just about be the perfect amount for my kids. Six weeks together is more manageable. At the start of summer we're all excited to be home and have a break from school life, but the novelty wears off. Fast. I'm accepting responsibility by saying I could do more on my part to entertain the kids and keep a more peaceful home. But having three boys quickly in succession inherently leads to competition and (often) contention. Anyway moving on.... School started on August 21 this year. A tad earlier than usual, it seemed. We got our school shopping done in the nick of time. Andrew is starting 4th grade this year with Ms. Grant and Nathan is starting 2nd with Miss Westover. And David couldn't bear to be left out of the pictures. He starts preschool in a couple weeks.

Yes Nathan is 2 years younger than Andrew but is noticeably taller than his big brother. It doesn't sit well with Andrew.

After the kids left, Elizabeth and I got down to some serious girl time. She sucked on my toes while I took a million pictures of her trying to walk. Later, Greg and I took the kids to the Cougar Kickoff on the soccer field. Just one big pep rally to get everyone fired up for upcoming sports. LONG, LONG lines to stand in if you wanted to meet the coach and players. We arrived a little late, just as Bronco was being driven past us out the gates in a golf cart. Hi, Coach. I was eager to get home and get kids to bed until I saw the Eric Dowdle booth. You might know that I am a huge Dowdle fan and own WAY too many puzzles of his artwork. I like puzzles and his are so fun to put together. He's a talented artist and it's like a huge where's Waldo picture. He adds fun, hidden things in his paintings and it's fun to look for them while doing a puzzle. Anyway, he just finished his newest one of BYU stadium so I guess that's why he was invited to the Cougar Kickoff. He signed my puzzle for me and we shot the breeze like old chums. His brother happens to be my parent's bishop up in Idaho. When I confessed my obsession with his work, he gave me his personal email address and told me to send him a picture of my family in funny poses that he'll include in his current painting of the city of Baltimore. He's almost done with it, but needs more random people to fill it in with. After all that, they raffled off a very large framed print of the stadium signed by himself and LaVell Edwards. My ticket number was off by ONE STINKING NUMBER. Oh well. Not sure where I would have hung a huge Dowdle portrait of the LaVell Edwards Stadium in my house.

One

She's one. Really? Yes, her birthday was yesterday. One year ago Greg and I welcomed this precious daughter into our lives.

And for the last year we have lived in a constant blur. It has gone faster than any other year of our lives. Not a day goes by that I don't look at her and marvel in the miracle of forever families and feel so blessed that she's mine for eternity.

The chocolate melt down. Stripped down for a reason..

Happy Birthday baby girl.

Also, having too much fun with a time lapse camera...