Some Times Ya Gotta Break the Rules...

And have 

ICE CREAM 

before lunch!

 Young's Dairy

Summer Begins!

Its hot and humid and the kids and I have been living up the SUMMER FUN this week so far! We crossed off go to a splash pad, river walking and swimming in the rain from our Summer Bucket List…. all in 2 days. I have spent full 2 days with new and old friends and have loved every minute. Catching up with everyone for 3 weeks of missed time takes some work! :) 

Pool time!

When we first arrived at the pool is started raining. Then it quite and then is rained harder and most people left. It never thundered, so we stayed…I mean really, we were there to get WET, right? Well, look at the sunny day it turned into!

Also, I figured out a win-win situation for that ever so tempting pool snack bar that beckons the kids….its called bribery…I mean chores. I make the kids to chores to earn money to get something at the snack bar. I now don't have to unload the dishwasher or pick up toys or water flower pots. Its fantastic!!

 

These 2 are as good as friends as 2 yr. olds can be!

They pal around and chase each other and taunt one another. All the other kids at the pool wanted a piece of paintbrush action, but these 2 were having none of that…"there's only 2"(Good thing your paying for the wedding Astrid & Ed)

Meeka got up the courage to jump off the diving board.
It only took 3 trips to the end…3rd time's a charm!

Hiking and River Walking

We met some newer friends this morning for a hike at The Narrows Nature Reserve. It was great to get to chat and get to know some people better. I am looking forward to more playdates with this great group of families!

Don't know if you can see it, but we saw 3 large owls together on this branch. Very, Very cool to see something like that in nature!

Say Cheese!

My kids dove right in…I knew they would so I was prepared with water shoes for them and for me. I became the official life guard in with the kiddos. The water felt great though!

Gotta have some princess or extra girl accessory to the outfit.
I mean, who doesn't hike in pink tutus, right?

My bug lover was soaked from head to toe.
She came home with a whole collection of shells.

The highlight of this trip for Logan was having a guy with us who knew how to skip rocks. Logan loves all the outdoorsy stuff. For those of you who know Michael, you know he didn't get it from him! :)

SPLASH PAD BABY SHOWER
My good friend Stacey is due next week and I am so glad we got to see her today! The 4 of us girls had a great time catching up and the kiddos just off and played all together.

Why he loves sitting on the water so it shoots up him, I just don't know?

Drama Queen

We thought about having some adult beverages and fun in the water too, but decided that this picture would look much better than our mug shot in the paper!

Where, Oh Where, Have I Been?

I know I have been incognito for the last 3 weeks. Some of you know why and others do not. The first week of summer vacation for the kids was my first week back to school. I decided it was time for a change; and I spent the last 3 weeks in class from 8-5:30 in Cincinnati for Real Estate. It was a grueling 3 weeks and my brain was on information overload, but I did learn a lot and I met some great people too! Now I have to study for the exam, which I won't take until sometime in July, and then I will be a licensed Real Estate Salesperson. So If you, or someone you know, is looking to buy or sell some real estate later this summer, or later this year, give me a call!

This weekend was my first weekend to relax and enjoy summer and I did just that! My kids were in drama and sports camp this week, so on Friday I got to go see them perform in a play and do their closing program for camp. We had a great outdoor playdate with great friends who moved back from Texas, some fun at Dragons Kids Day and the cooled off in the pool. I also cooked some great summer food this weekend! What is better than food on the grill, summer drinks and eating outside? 

This week officially starts our Summer Vacation and we have a bucket list full of fun and adventure! Can't wait to see what summer has in store for us! 

Here are some pictures from the weekend.

PLAYDATE

Friends reunited!

Chillin' at Yoba!

Silly faces at Noodles!

DRAGONS KIDS DAY 

Water Balloon toss with the players

Say Cheese! with Heater and Gem

Coloring a mural

Balloon Animals!

Running the bases

How fast can I pitch?

 HANGING OUT AT THE POOL!

The weather is finally exceptable able for me. Hot and humid!
 (I swear I am a Southern Girl at heart!)

 FILLING THE BELLY

Cheesy Texas Fries

Stuffed burger with bacon, cheese & BBQ sauce

Pizza on the grill.
We made BBQ Chicken Pizza and cheese and ate all 2 pies!

I made my first batch of pesto for the season!

I can guarantee we will spend lots of time at the pool and the softball fields this week. Other than that not sure what else we will get into?