Summer - 2011

Fun in the SUN VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I’ve learned a few things this summer – life is never going to slow down, I am never going to catch up, and these boys are always growing way too fast!  : ) 

It’s been a HOT summer, as everyone knows, but of course we haven’t let that slow us down!  A Summer in Review:  The Kitchen Remodel continues…always!  My mother’s day / wedding anniversary gift was an amazing Nikon camera.  Our anniversary on May 7th, 2011 – 11 Years!  Jermie’s father’s day gift was a cool new Catamaran!  Gabe swam with the Winfield Swim Club during home meets – learning to use the kickboard and building up to the 50 meter free swim (which we hope he will be a pro at next summer!)  Swim Club makes me think of my cousin Mickie (coach of the Pittsburg Barracudas with my Aunt Marlaine) … a very sad funeral the weekend after Gabe’s 5th Birthday...  But, of course, there was no rain on his parade and his birthday was a fun bash in Liberal.  We had fun zoo trips to the Garden City Zoo and for the first time to the Tanganikya Wildlife Park.  We had plenty of fun in the sun at Winfield Lake & Lake Kanopolis – that Catamaran casts a pretty reflection on the water!   We spent Memorial Day in Toronto – Proud and Patriotic.  The 4th of July was a vacation to Rick & Christina’s farm in Nebraska – amazing times for my wide-eyed boys who enjoyed every minute of it!  Not wanting to miss out on seeing a Fireworks display, we saw one to never forget in Wakefield with Jamie, Brady & Kylar.  Right above us – shot off from the in-town ball diamond with us sitting so close, tiny pieces of paper would fall on us!  OMG – LOUD, BOOMING, BRILLIANT… that was a crazy experience! Did I mention that we sold our big, fast boat and we sold our big 30-foot camper?  Simplified things a lot!  Now we have a truck-bed camper and a Catamaran and it’s a quick and easy haul to make it to the lake!  We had a relaxed camping weekend with Brandy & Alfredo and kids in July, great friends and great food.  We spent several sabbaths in Church this summer, out in Liberal and visiting the church in ElDorado – something I love doing with my boys who are so eager to learn, and who ask the most amazing questions, and for whom faith comes so naturally! Family Tradition:  We met Jami & Alyssa in Liberal for the annual summer “Pickeling Corn” weekend with Joe, Fonda & Grandma D.  A good refresher after that is always a few hours at the Aquatic Center in Liberal – fun times for the whole family.  This also fell on Ashton’s 3rd Birthday – and the big boy got a JEEP (almost) just like his Dad’s!  : )  Unfortunately, the boys are probably going to have to wait until this fall to get together with All their Cousins, and we missed the summer birthday parties we have had in the past.  It was a summer of change for each of my siblings, too, always!  And pretty darn hot for road trips / pets at home.  But, we did make it to Laken’s birthday party, and to see Jamie one last time before summer break ended.  Took the boys to the Manhattan Zoo & Splash Park – Wow, Tons of Fun!  And caught a few hours of the Wichita Flight Festival with Alli a few weekends ago.  These boys have really had some Great Summer FUN!  :)  Ashton is settling in to his new daycare & Gabe is starting school – WEDNESDAY!  So, enjoy this summer snapshot of SUMMER!

 

Ashton is 3!

What does it mean to be THREE?
Three times as ornery, three times as quick, three times as animated!?

Ashton is starting to have a lot more voice in this house, but still defers to his big brother to do most of the talking. Those two are trouble when they're together, all the time on each other about something - except for those times when it's so simple to just share and laugh together... ahh... it's an up and down kind of relationship!

At three, you must have to experience and convey every emotion possible within one day! Ashton's emotions are Very Quick to change! And his expressions are priceless.  His smile plus those ears - outrageous! His giggle is awesome.  I tried to include some of his many goofy and ornery and angry faces, but you have GOT to see this kid pout! No 3 year-old has a bottom lip pout like Ashton's - wow!

 

He's a tall kiddo - shot up in height this year - a head shorter than his brother, but it seems like he is catching up awful fast! He has grown into this year's summer clothes (hand-me-downs) a season faster than Gabe did (but maybe I shrunk them!) He is coordinated - I wish I had a picture of him riding his bicycle with training wheels. He is getting better at it - much better than the beginning of the summer. He is not a "lake rat" - yet. At the lake, he prefers to have his life vest on and two arms attached to mom or dad, and actually spends the most time on the beach playing with shovels and buckets in the sand. He loves to be outside, loves to catch bugs and crickets, and can Not pass up a puddle of any size without seeing how big of a splash he can make! :)

His birthday, July 24th, snuck up on me this year, and fell on the same weekend we had planned to meet Jami & Alyssa in Liberal for the annual "Pickeling Corn" family tradition. :) So, again in Liberal, we celebrated Ashton's birthday. The big gift from us was a Jeep 4-Wheeler (battery operated) and he loves to ride in that thing - with his brother driving! He knows he isn't the greatest driver and again, defers to brother. They have discovered a hole in the neighbor's yard that they like to go through, tipping to the side when they hit it, Rebels! :) His brother is absolutely his best friend in the world. And his biggest rival! It's fun times around here!

Quickly, a look back with a few photo collages of my Growing Boys
- ah, the difference a year makes!

Ashton

3 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Gabe

5 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

5 Years Old!  Wow!  : ) 

I’ve been thinking lately on how a year has changed Gabe…  He is Still the Most Social boy anyone has ever met.  We were at the Post Office drop-box and a lady walked beside our vehicle and Gabe gets excited: “Roll the window down, Mom, I want to say Hi!”  Yes, to an absolute stranger…  Last week it was time to go get his brother & go to the library, and he had no problem going into the library wearing his Iron Man costume.  : )  He loves all Boy things: dirt, mud, bugs, playing rough & super heroes – all the time!  He likes learning and challenging things.  He has been loving Transformers & Legos lately, imaginative but practical is how I would describe most of his play time.  He wanted to watch “Transformers” on my phone.  I did a search on YouTube, and now he wants to watch the demo videos on how to transform them from robots to jets and cars!  He has fire truck Lego kits, and he will take the truck apart just to see if he can put it back together again!  : )

We have been doing some “home school” – practicing writing his name and numbers and letters – since Kindergarten is right around the corner.  He couldn’t be more excited about school.  : )  He is going to go to the school right across from us & come home and hang out with dad in the afternoons.  I think they will both enjoy spending that time together.  He spent the summer swimming, which helped with his coordination, and the boy has great playground skills: climbing the monkey bars and pulling himself across the ladders.  No Fear!  He thinks Recess will be his favorite part of the day & he might be right!  His teachers are in for a challenge, though!  He is smart but he also smarts off.  He’s got a perfect memory when it comes to, “But you said we would _____…”  : )  I hear there are two k teachers at that school, one who is younger and sweeter & the other who is older & more strict.  I REALLY want Gabe to love his teacher, but I hope she is strict, too!  

Gabe remembers everything we have ever done.  He is eager to show you and tell you that he loves you.  He makes us laugh and we love his goofy side.  I especially love the times when I see him & his brother playing together and Gabe sharing or teaching…  : )  Anyways, a lot of love for this boy – a lot of love…  5, wow, hard to believe!

(Gabe’s birthday is May 23rd.  We celebrated in Liberal this year.)