Roman was SO excited to bring Chester, the classroom raccoon, home this afternoon for an adventure. He and his brothers had a blast running around with Chester…
Category: Jonas
Donuts with Dad…
The boys had Donuts with Dad this morning at school. I was SO incredibly moved by how many dads showed up to be with their kids…the line literally wrapped around the school and snaked down the hallway…I teared up and applauded all of the daddies as I walked by…especially this one with these three boys.
Solar Eclipse…
We picked the boys up early from school, so we could all watch the eclipse together. We drove about an hour north where totality was longer. My favorite parts, aside from sharing such an historic event with my family and watching the boys play in the lake afterwards in the changing light, was hearing this precious lady say, “Praise Jesus!” and seeing all of the fish start biting when the sky went dark. What an amazing day, and what a gift it was to witness it!
First Day of School for Jonas and Xander…
Today was the first day of school for Jonas and Xander!!!
Jonas, going into 3rd grade: “When I grow up, I want to be an artist.”
Xander, going into 2nd grade: “When I grow up, I want to be a dolphin trainer at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.”
You know, I’ve come a long way. I went from picking out their clothes (waaaaaaaaay back in the beginning of their preschool days when they would let me and didn’t have strong opinions about what they wanted to wear) to only requiring nice clothes (that they choose) on the first day of school, picture, and church days. Today, I decided to take a leap and let go of the nice clothes on the first day of school thing and just let them wear what they were comfortable in…I think it was less anxiety inducing for all.
Here they are holding their first day of school signs, being silly in front of the school, and meeting their teachers for the first time. I always love seeing the progression of pictures taken at the beginning of the school year, where they’re holding back and a little nervous…to the end of the school year, where they’re all in and confident. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful school with such precious and caring teachers and staff…they are the best!!! I can’t wait to see how much my boys change, learn, and grow this year.
Adventure Science Center Again…
The boys and I enjoyed checking out the Adventure Science Center again…
Bonfire…
Today, even though it was the beginning of August, felt like the most beautiful fall day. It had me picking up my step on my morning run at the park, thinking of football afternoons, and not wanting the cool night to end. In the spirit of the day and the quickly approaching fall (one of my favorite times of the year), we had a bonfire tonight (courtesy of Tom…he read my mind)!!! Complete with s’mores, it was such a fun night with the boys…kind of a farewell to summer and a hello to fall. I am looking forward to many more family fall night bonfires to come.
Tampa…
We were BEYOND BLESSED to get to spend a week in Tampa on the bay at the house of a dear friend’s parents. We had so much fun swimming in the pool, going for rides on the boat (looking for dolphins, eating at a bayside restaurant, and riding on Big Mabel), and visiting Winter at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. It really was one of our best family trips yet.
For more pictures, click on the “Tampa 2017” page to the right…
Painting Pavers…
Jonas ended up pulling a muscle at the indoor trampoline park a few days ago. So, he’s been visiting the pediatrician, getting his very first x-ray (a highlight for him was riding in/driving a wheelchair), taking ibuprofen, applying ice off and on throughout the day, and resting. Poor guy!!! He felt up to hobbling out to the front porch this afternoon and beautifully painted three pavers that are now brightening up our front flower beds. I’m so grateful that he didn’t get hurt worse and that he’s on the mend and am hoping that he’ll be rested and back to being his adventurous self by the time we get to the lake tomorrow afternoon.
Blueberry Picking…
The boys and I went blueberry picking this morning and picked almost three pounds of blueberry goodness…
VBS…
The boys have VBS this week and are loving it already…
Water Slide…
Jonas and Xander LOVED these water slides at the rec center (where Jonas took his drawing class this week)!!!
Bowling…
A rainy day made for a good day to go bowling…
Building with Marshmallows…
The boys had fun building with marshmallows and toothpicks this morning…
Pool…
This is how we’re going to be spending most of our time this summer…
Picnic in the Park…
This afternoon, the boys and I took our lunches to the park for a picnic and some play time.
Goofballs…
I took the boys to Goofballs this morning. They LOVE that place…ski ball, bowling, video games, inflatable, and jungle blaster room. Their favorite part, I think, is earning tickets to redeem for fun little prizes at the end.
Fun with MeMe…
The boys and I drove up to spend some time with MeMe today. She has a HUGE garden that she’s planting and tending to…and I loved that the boys were able to get in there with her. She paid them $6 each to fill up paint buckets with rocks from the garden and let them pick vegetables (onions, squash, and zucchini) to take home. We ate lunch at Sonic (with a little Subway thrown in) and hung out at the playground for quite a while. It was such a sweet time.
Lemonade Stand…
Xander is our resident dolphin-lover, so he was SUPER excited when he found out about the fundraiser kit that we could order through the Clearwater Marine Aquarium to raise money for Winter the Dolphin (and other rescued sea creatures like her)!!! The boys and I had so much fun setting up the table with flowers from our garden, pink and yellow lemonade, fruit ice cubes, homemade cookies (oatmeal raisin and snickerdoodle), and all of Xander’s stuffed dolphins. With the help of our friends and neighbors, we were able to raise $60 for Winter!!!
