What's Mom Doing?!?!

This isn't exactly an update on what the kids are doing, but rather an update on what I have been doing. Other than baking bread, recruiting bread bakers, getting ready for PMO, organizing date night, getting sitters for date night and taking care of the fam, I have been making bows.

I started making them for Caroline and ended up with more than she will ever wear. I have really enjoyed making them and I especially love picking out the ribbon. I am selling the bows by word of mouth and hopefully I will have a booth at the local craft fair in October. I have attempted Etsy.com but not with the bows yet. I felt like I may have better luck with all my Facebook friends and anyone who may be looking at this.

Here are some of the bows I have made. I am open to requests if there is a specific bow you are looking for and cannot find. Caroline modeled a bow for me but only after I bribed her with candy. When the candy doesn't work for her anymore, don't be surprised to find Tucker modeling the bows...kidding :)

Picnic @ Lake Cheston

On Saturday night we had our last official picnic at Lake Cheston. The kids had so much fun playing in the sand and lake with their buddies! It was nice for the adults to actually be able to sit down and talk with out having to jump up every second to help a child. I thought the kids played very well together (other than Tucker's constant need to throw sand).

Caroline and Gus enjoyed playing in the sand. Later on they were rolling in the sand making sand angels.

Tucker spotted food and made his way over to Abe to try and steal a chip or two.

Meggie and Tucker before the sand throwing began. It looks like Tucker had been eating the sand and dirt.

Caroline and her buddies, Hannah and Gus.

Ryan and Caroline spent much of the afternoon playing in the water. This year, we were prepared and brought swimsuits!

Tuck and Caroline loved swimming in the murky lake water!

Naked!!!

Tucker got dry clothes an a blue cookie! Very exciting!

Caroline thought she was big stuff walking Miss Gina's dog, Patches.

What's New...

On Friday morning, Hattie and Noah came over to play. The "Fridge DJ" was the hit of the day! I must say that I have thought about making the Fridge DJ "disappear" as it is really annoying. But Hattie, Noah, Caroline and Tucker love it! It was so precious to hear them all (yes, all of them) singing along to Itsy Bitsy Spider and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. They also knew the hand motions and this moment was just priceless! I wasn't sure we would ever see the day where they are all interested in the same thing! Normally this would be a problem, but not with the Fridge DJ. Noah changed the songs and they all danced and found themselves quite funny. I love watching Caroline and Tucker and their friends play together and interact. It is just amazing to think how much they have all grown up since we started this journey!

Caroline and Tucker have been on a coloring kick lately. Caroline usually initiates and Tucker follows along saying "cowor Mommy, I cowor." They have colored very well together. Caroline even allows Tucker (sometimes) to color on the same page that she is coloring on...amazing! It is so great to see them playing together and really enjoying each other's company. Tucker is really trying to follow her every footstep. This has been especially interesting when it comes to the potty. About a week ago, Tucker began to go pee pee on the potty. He still wears diapers and is not potty trained, but he loves to go potty when Caroline does. So now, Caroline loves to announce (loudly!) when she needs to go. I feel certain the point of this is to make sure Tucker knows she is about to go to the bathroom. The race begins...they both drop what they are doing and sprint to the bathroom to see who can go potty first. Caroline is usually the winner since she was the first to say she needed to go and Tucker is literally standing as close to the toilet as Caroline will let him get. He is ready to jump on as soon as Caroline is finished. He sits on his throne and smiles from ear to ear saying "I do it mommy, I do it!" Sure enough...he did it!

Living Room

This is what our living room looked like for 3 days last week. Our chimney was being relined and part of that process is building a "tent" surrounding the fireplace. Because of this we could not use our living room. This was a minor inconvenience, but totally worth it as we build fires almost every night in the winter. Tucker liked all the excitement at our house because the men had lots of tools, loud machines and ladders. By day 2, Caroline was ready for the "mans to get out of my house!" Then of course, once they left, she asked repeatedly where they went...go figure!

Weekend Fun

This is what our Friday night picnics look like. The kids are off to the right on the playground.

Caroline had a tea party with her babies and animals.

Tucker tried desperately to be a part of the party but all he got was this cup.

Tucker leads the way on our "adventure" Sunday morning.

Caroline was very proud of her red leaf!

"Me first"...."No, me first!"

We had a picnic in the gazebo on Abbo's Alley.

Apparently this is what bears look like.

Beautiful scenery on a beautiful day.

Mom and kiddos on a "big rock!"

Caroline and Tucker were trying to see if their voices echoed in the cave. They said "echo" a million times!

Ok, here's your picture...can we please go see the horses now?

Crazy Nut Children

"Snuggling" in the morning!

Playing in the school bus/fire truck tent since it has rained quite a bit recently.

Caroline catching a ride on the "cycle."

Tucker trying to escape Caroline on the cycle.

Caroline's recent fashion statement...fleece hat and gloves on a hot summer night.

Camden Park

The first week of August we drove to Huntington to spend some time with Chad's family. The kids did very well on the 8 hour car ride. We had lots of fun in West Virginia, but I think the trip to Camden Park took the cake. The kids loved riding the rides that Chad (and Nena!) rode when they were kids. Caroline and Tucker went on a roller coaster for the first time and loved it. Caroline rode on the log flume with Chad and decided not to try that one again! Here are some pictures of the kids riding the rides.