Our 4th

We had a really fun Fourth of July this year.  We usually hang out at home and don't really do much. Logistically it can be difficult with me and all four kids alone, and the Fourth is typically a pretty busy day for Brian at work!

My parents bought a camper in November, and they've been setting up camp at a local campground that is right on the water.  They were going to be at the campground on the Fourth, so the kids and I decided to join them for a fun day!

Here they are in their Red, White & Blue before we left the house.

The boys started fishing almost as soon as we got there.  Hudson really got the hang of casting the line.

Wyatt has fished before, but Pop Pop is a really good teacher.  

He's also really good to have around when a fire truck comes through the campground :).  Finley hopped up in the truck.  She was wet from the bounce house water slide, so she left the seat a little wet.

Hudson had to hop up in the truck too.  He was a little more comfortable behind the wheel.

We spent the morning walking to the bouncey slide, letting them slide (I still can't believe that Finley did it!), having lunch, and then scootering around and fishing.

Then we went over to the pool for a little bit.  Hudson was much more content to stay at the bouncey slide than swim in the pool, but he eventually made it over.

We went back to the camper for more fishing and showers.

I dressed the girls and Hudson back up in their Red, White & Blue for the next big event of the day....

The Hayride around the campground!  Wyatt wanted to stay back and fish, but these three were excited.  But they were also tired.

Celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence!  I also make them answer random historical trivia questions on the Fourth because I'm a "Cool Mom,"

Once we were home I put Finley to bed, and then we went outside to watch some fireworks that our neighbor picked up in South Carolina.  Because that's where all the good fireworks are!

And after an incredibly long day, this guy fell asleep watching "Pride of the Yankees" with Jeter. And he loved it!  He's already asked me if he can watch it again!  My kids love to watch Andy Griffith and Leave it to Beaver, so I'm not too surprised.  And Gehrig was on our baby name list.  Ha!

All in all, it was a really great day!  Thanks for having us at the campsite Didi and Pop Pop!

Final Weekend of Summmmmeeeeeer!

The kids and I spent the majority of this weekend trying to soak up the last weekend of summer.  They go back to school on tomorrow (?!), so I wanted to squeeze in some trips that we may not be able to make once school and carpools start.

We spent Friday morning at Meet the Teacher, and then we went over to my parents' house to hang out with my brother and his fiancee.  And Wyatt and Reese always love when my Dad's childhood best friend comes to town with his three kids.  Reese and Ava made up different jumps all night!

We even had a dog try to join us for the ride home.  Sorry Bella!

On Saturday we went to the Living Museum to see the dinosaur exhibit again.  They definitely like the fossil "dig."

Reese enjoys showing off her "fancy" poses in front of dinosaurs (that's what Wyatt calls it).

And of course he had "creature adventurer" poses in front of the dinos, too!  I've gotten my money's worth out of this safari vest that we found on clearance at Target.  He wears it anytime he knows he's going to see animals.

Wyatt walked around the museum telling Finley the names of all of the animals (they practiced "fish" and "turtle" over and over again).  She loves her big brother!

After the Living Museum, I stopped and got lunch for the kids and let them watch a movie in the car (it's usually a special treat for long trips) while we waited for my phone screen to get fixed.  It's been cracked since our trip to see the big duck in May (although it's been dropped and cracked twice since then at baseball games), and I had a Groupon that was about to expire. 

Sunday morning the middles and I went to the waterpark while the bookends went to Mimi and Baba's.  We had lots of fun sliding and playing.  Hudson passed out on  the ride home!

And then we ended up doing a child swap - Reese stayed at Mimi and Baba's with Wyatt while FQB, Hudson and I ran to Target.  They looked adorable holding hands in the cart!

And this morning they asked for one more zoo trip.  Obviously, I said no.

Not.  They ran all over the zoo, but we finished before it got too hot!  Reese stopped to model her Rafiki pose.  "Correction.  I know your father."

And we stopped to see the tortoise.  Apparently the first documentation they have about the large one is from 1930?  But it could be older!

And now I will be spending the rest of the day getting backpacks ready and organizing schedules. And picking out clothes for the week because I am not fighting that battle every day this week with Reese. Or Wyatt.  How does school start tomorrow?!?!

Another Week of Swim Lessons

One of my favorite things about August is the switch to evening swim lessons.

It frees up our mornings, we don't have to rush to get out of the house, AND the classes always seem smaller.  So the kids get more one on one time with their instructors! 

Hudson had has the same teacher several times this summer.  I'm sure she claims him because of this super cute smile.  He is the sweetest!

 One thing that I loved about Wyatt's lessons was that it was definitely more of a workout!  He had to swim a BUNCH of laps, and they made him practice all of his strokes and kicks.  If this kid wasn't already so busy, I would look into a swim team for him this winter.  I think that weekly trips to the Y pool are now on our winter agenda!  Laps for the two oldest!

 You can't wear goggles until you get to Station 5.  This kid definitely wore them as his "badge of being big" all summer!

 She loves hanging on the ropes.  Or sitting on the ledge?  You're at swim lessons, girl!  Stay in the pool!

 Waving to Hudson.

 Wyatt got to work on diving.

 I took this picture of Reese because it says everything about her perfectionist tendencies.  When she is swimming, she listens quietly while the coach tells her how to fix her stroke, and then she methodically puts it into practice.  It was most apparent when she was working on the Crawl!

 Hudson is getting to be quite the floater - at swim lessons.  I tried to get him to practice with me, and let's just say, he wanted nothing to do with that.

 I can hardly believe that baby sister is going to be joining them in lessons next summer.  What in the world will I do with a free half hour while I sit by the pool?

 Yeah, he won't even jump to me.  Apparently we have some trust issues.

At their first round of evening lessons, Reese managed to pass Station 3!  Both boys are still working hard to get their stickers, but I think they're in two pretty hard stations!

And Finley spent her time chowing down on some Yogurt Melts and yelling at the teen swim team.  "Goooooooo! Goooooo! Gooooooooo!"  It was pretty funny to watch her yell!

Our Weekend

Summer is (kind of) upon us.

The three big kids still have three more weeks of school, so we aren't in complete celebration mode, but I did decide to make Brian's first weekend FULL of work a little fun for them. 

We started Friday with the pool set up after school, home made pizza, and a movie night.  The pizza and movie (and popcorn with M&Ms) are both part of our usual Friday night "tradition", but the pool made things a little more fun!  Pizza night has also gotten tastier since we started making our own.  The kids love cheese, and I have really fallen in love with this honey garlic pizza.

Love my Talls!

And that one there in the middle?  His smile is adorable.  Which distracts you from the fact that he rarely naps and likes to sneak food out of the pantry.  And he also enjoys randomly changing clothes throughout the day.

I caught this one of them running and jumping in with my phone.  So awesome!  I couldn't believe that they didn't complain once about it being too cold!

They had so much fun on Friday that I set the pool back up on Saturday afternoon.  On a Target trip that morning I was looking at suits for Reese and she insisted on this one because, "it looks like art, Mama."  Not my favorite, but it's the little things that make her happy!  I can live with a swimsuit I don't love if it's a one piece.  Ha!

Just so you know, Finley was also with us this weekend - she was just napping during our pool time.  She did enjoy a popsicle with us after her nap!

On Sunday we had "real pool" time at my Mom and Dad's house.  Obviously Hudson and Finley get distracted by Cheetos.  Because who doesn't?

I mean, she definitely does.  

In other exciting news, Wyatt lost another loose tooth this weekend.  Of course, losing teeth can't just be boring with this kid - he lost it in the pool at my Mom's house.  And quickly discovered how profitable it is to lose teeth while he's there.  Now his top two middle teeth are waiting to be surrounded!

Now I'm just off to get everyone ready for school tomorrow.  There's an end to packing backpacks and lunches and signing paperwork in sight.  It just means that all four of them are home alone with me all day.  Time to start pinning stuff to keep them busy!  Ha!

Daddy's Day Off

On Monday Brian had his first day off in 4 weeks. I know that he really wanted to spend the day relaxing, and I felt bad that there were other things that needed to be done around the house. Brian spent most of his day off vacuuming the pool, putting up a new umbrella in the backyard, and of course going to pick up the Baby Girl's furniture. Wyatt was very excited to have his Daddy around all day. He didn't want Brian to leave his sight, which is weird because he isn't a clingy kid. He talked through his nap (but I don't play the "no nap" game, so he stayed up there for two hours talking quietly to himself), he cried every time Brian left the room even if it was for 2 seconds, and while Brian was in the backyard cleaning the pool Wyatt stood at the door and watched him.

We left Wyatt with my Mom for a few hours while we went to get the Baby furniture and he cried when Brian left him there (and I say Brian because I know he wasn't crying over me)! He was excited to see his Daddy when we got there, and was even more excited when Daddy took him in the pool. He had so much fun playing and splashing with Brian. We took him out for ice cream afterward and he didn't eat a bite of it. He was too busy staring at some young ladies who were running around outside Handel's.

This morning he woke up and Brian said all he could hear through the baby monitor was "Katie, Katie. Doggy. No Daddy. No Ducks." I would love to know what goes through Wyatt's head when he wakes up in the morning because he really likes to lay there for a little bit before we go get him. He's a silly little boy. We took him in the pool again tonight (even though it is incredibly smoky outside, I guess from the North Carolina wildfires) and he loved it. He even started saying "in the pooool." He's also trying to learn to say "bird" as well. Tonight Brian went in after I'd put him to bed to say goodnight. When Brian told Wyatt he had fun in the pool, Wyatt said "in the pooool," and then pointed to the picture of him and Noelle above his crib and said "Doggy."

In another exciting turn of events, Wyatt has learned to say "T." So maybe he'll be saying his Uncle's name this weekend when he sees him! We'll have to practice with a picture.

Being silly with Daddy

"Swimming" thru the water. He really is kicking though!

Some more swimming...it's his favorite thing!