Photo Dump

Rich and I were talking last night about the fun things we've done with the kids this summer.  Lots of little excursions here and there, though an actual vacation has not been one of them.  But if having (and loving) our new house means no vacation this year, then that's okay with me! 

We also talked about how beautiful our kids are...seriously.  They couldn't be any cuter if they were trying. 

I went through my photos reminiscing about the good summer times we've enjoyed and realized how few I've shared.  So here is a little catching up photo dump.  Enjoy.

Lena's little gang of preschool buddies at Inniswood one very hot afternoon.  She was so happy to see them all!

My company's annual King's Island day!  Rich and I agreed that this was our family's best year there.  The kids are getting bigger and can enjoy more of the rides.  The weather turned out to be perfect: overcast with tiny rain showers here and there, which made the lines short and the crowds small, and it never rained hard enough to shut anything down much longer than 10 minutes.  It was a great day!

 

 Accidental head injuries trying to get our last brother/sister photo...

Which was quickly remedied by a couple of spontaneous hugs and giggles. 

 

Rich's annual family reunion. Hot but beautiful day at a lovely place...it's always good catching up with the extended fam. 

Visiting great grandma.  It was a quick visit, but it's always nice to see how little she changes from visit to visit.  Other than a few mostly minor physical issues, which are to be expected because the woman is in her 90's, Grandma is happy and healthy. 

Early morning walk with Lily girl.  Lori's family had to head out for their vacation early one morning, so we kept Lily overnight and then took her to Mom and Dad's with us, where she had herself a little vacation.  She's the best dog ever.

The 4th of July at Mom and Dad's.  We had a nice, relaxed visit and the kids honed their swing pumping skills! 

Rich set off some smoke bombs, which in turn filled the whole neighborhood with blue and white smoke.  Oops. :)

We snuck to my old high school right before the fireworks started and enjoyed them on a blanket with Mom.  The kids were pooped, but I'm so glad we got to see it together.  It was a great show!

My mad artistry skills, as requested by the children.

Impromptu soup lunch at Panera, followed by a visit to our favorite store: Half Price Books, where we all scored awesome finds!

Hanging with friends at our weekly free lunch volunteer location.  Couldn't get the kids out of the tree that day. 

Hiking with Lori and the boys yesterday.  It was just too beautiful not to be outside, so it was a perfect day for an impromptu invite from my big sister! 

Catching Up

Our garden is crazy with all of this rain. We're getting loads of awesome goodies out of it this year, except I just yesterday learned from my ever-the-wiser sister that the secret to picking green beans is to get them small-ish before the bean bulges appear.  Which means most of those I've picked this year (about 2 tons) have been left on the plants too long. They're still pretty darn good, but I'm bummed that it was my fault they weren't better eating.  I gave a ginormous bag to Lori to try to crock pot cook and a huge bunch to Mom and Dad and we've eaten a ton of them ourselves too.  We just can't quite keep up with those beans this year.  Awesome problem to have.  I need to learn to can...maybe next year.  For now it's beans for everyone!

The rain has also brought with it an abundance of inside playtime at home. This massive fort aided us bravely in our mission to provide indoor entertainment for the kids. 

Waiting for the New Albany fireworks to start on the 4th.  Everybody was so excited.  It was a great show!

Our 4th of July picnic with cousins and aunts and uncles and parents and sister and brother-in-law and nephews and grandma and friends...and rain...in Delaware.  Even with our unwelcome rainy guest and without several family members, it was a great day!

Rich's latest house project.  Back splash.  It really looks great now that it's finished, but I don't have a picture of that yet. I mean seriously, is there anything this man cannot do well?

Speaking of things Rich does well, we can add gardening to the list.  Not only did he build the raised beds we plant in, honestly he tends to them much more often than I do.  He'll say it's a family effort, but truth be told he has the greener thumb between the two of us.

I mean look at that zucchini plant!

 

Our team at work went to Huntington Park for a Clippers game a couple weeks ago for lunch.  Our company has a box and, let me tell you, it's nice to catch a brief glimpse of how rich people live and play from up there in that box. Such an awesome treat!



Chilling in my favorite spot in the kitchen.  I love how the sun shines through our huge windows.  I'm a lucky girl to call this home.