Once again, it's been awhile since my last postng. Summer is crazy, as you will see by the number of pics I've included for July 2011. HAPPY BELATED 4TH OF JULY! Will came home from daycare with this firecracker cap he had made. He loved it so much, and wore it for many days afterward. 
This was the first year we decided to stay in the Metro for the 4th for a little change up, and boy we had a great time. Here Kate, Will & the neighbor boys decided to wash their bikes for the holiday weekend. Kept them busy for a really long time.
There were parades the whole weekend. We decided to attend the Urbandale parade. It was a hot day, but the parade was worth it. Lindsay & Lauren decided to join us. As you might be able to see, Will & Lauren hung out in the shaded strollers for the event.
Will occasionally got out to collect some candy, but mostly relied on his big sis to do all the work.
This girl toughed out the heat to get all the goodies. She loved watching all the cheerleaders & dance teams go by.
The following weekend, we headed down to Lake of the Ozarks for the 2nd annual Schaefer/Van Zee get away. This was Lauren's first trip with us. I think she was a little over stimulated by all the noise produced by my crazy kiddos, Teagan & Tate. She was a real trouper!!
The go cart track was Will's favorite pick. He & I rode the "Red Lightning McQueen" race car. In his mind, we won the big race, for which he requested "the piston cup & a sucker" for the big win. In actuality, we were the slowest car, well behind the rest of the pack. We were so slow that we got shorted out of a lap resulting in our car being 1st back into the gate! I couldn't bear to tell him the truth, so I let him believe that we blew everyone else away!
The pool, lake, & water guns were the activities of choice for the kids. I love this pic as Brett has no idea he's about to get hit!
Brett & I got to walk down memory lane and took a trip to Andy's Frozen Custard to share our favorite "Stolen Brownie Sundae." Back in our college days we would pool our $$ together & go on dates to Andy's to share this LITTLE PIECE OF HEAVEN.......YUMMY!
Kate really wants to join the swim team this next year. So she worked really hard in the water during the trip and made great progress.
These girls were best buds the entire trip & had so much fun. We sure wish they lived a little closer to each other so they could play more often.
I just had to include this cute pic. Kate found my do-rag from Race from the Cure & insisted on wearing it! I was cool with it as it protected her little head from frying in the sun. You go girl!
Right after we got back from our trip, Brett & I had to gear up to teach a week of Vacation Bible School. Brett taught the Kindergarteners with Kate, and I taught the 3 yr. old class with Will. Boy was it a lot of work. The kids had a blast, and so did we. But I have a new found respect for all preschool & kindergarten teachers after trying to manage 20 of these fast little critters myself!!
Fast, quick meals have been the menu for the summer. One night I decided to introduce the corndog to the kids. It was a gamble as I never know how new food items will go. Result: They loved them! Will ate 1 whole corndog himself. Maybe, just maybe he might have jumped from 25 to 26 lbs!
At the end of the month, the parents in Kate's preschool/daycare class organized a last hurrah for the kids. Here is Kate with her good friend Kathleen. These 2 girls have been at Children's Garden together since they were 6 months old. Next week, they will part ways to go to Kindergarten. Okay, enough about that or I'll start crying as I am typing this.
At the end of the picnic Will figured out how to dunk his sister. He did it over & over & over again!! Paybacks are finally coming to her. Actually, she thought it was so much fun!! They have so much fun together. Let's hope this lasts for a little while longer!!
This was the first year we decided to stay in the Metro for the 4th for a little change up, and boy we had a great time. Here Kate, Will & the neighbor boys decided to wash their bikes for the holiday weekend. Kept them busy for a really long time.
There were parades the whole weekend. We decided to attend the Urbandale parade. It was a hot day, but the parade was worth it. Lindsay & Lauren decided to join us. As you might be able to see, Will & Lauren hung out in the shaded strollers for the event.
Will occasionally got out to collect some candy, but mostly relied on his big sis to do all the work.
This girl toughed out the heat to get all the goodies. She loved watching all the cheerleaders & dance teams go by.
The following weekend, we headed down to Lake of the Ozarks for the 2nd annual Schaefer/Van Zee get away. This was Lauren's first trip with us. I think she was a little over stimulated by all the noise produced by my crazy kiddos, Teagan & Tate. She was a real trouper!!
The go cart track was Will's favorite pick. He & I rode the "Red Lightning McQueen" race car. In his mind, we won the big race, for which he requested "the piston cup & a sucker" for the big win. In actuality, we were the slowest car, well behind the rest of the pack. We were so slow that we got shorted out of a lap resulting in our car being 1st back into the gate! I couldn't bear to tell him the truth, so I let him believe that we blew everyone else away!
The pool, lake, & water guns were the activities of choice for the kids. I love this pic as Brett has no idea he's about to get hit!
Brett & I got to walk down memory lane and took a trip to Andy's Frozen Custard to share our favorite "Stolen Brownie Sundae." Back in our college days we would pool our $$ together & go on dates to Andy's to share this LITTLE PIECE OF HEAVEN.......YUMMY!
Kate really wants to join the swim team this next year. So she worked really hard in the water during the trip and made great progress.
These girls were best buds the entire trip & had so much fun. We sure wish they lived a little closer to each other so they could play more often.
I just had to include this cute pic. Kate found my do-rag from Race from the Cure & insisted on wearing it! I was cool with it as it protected her little head from frying in the sun. You go girl!
Right after we got back from our trip, Brett & I had to gear up to teach a week of Vacation Bible School. Brett taught the Kindergarteners with Kate, and I taught the 3 yr. old class with Will. Boy was it a lot of work. The kids had a blast, and so did we. But I have a new found respect for all preschool & kindergarten teachers after trying to manage 20 of these fast little critters myself!!
Fast, quick meals have been the menu for the summer. One night I decided to introduce the corndog to the kids. It was a gamble as I never know how new food items will go. Result: They loved them! Will ate 1 whole corndog himself. Maybe, just maybe he might have jumped from 25 to 26 lbs!
At the end of the month, the parents in Kate's preschool/daycare class organized a last hurrah for the kids. Here is Kate with her good friend Kathleen. These 2 girls have been at Children's Garden together since they were 6 months old. Next week, they will part ways to go to Kindergarten. Okay, enough about that or I'll start crying as I am typing this.
At the end of the picnic Will figured out how to dunk his sister. He did it over & over & over again!! Paybacks are finally coming to her. Actually, she thought it was so much fun!! They have so much fun together. Let's hope this lasts for a little while longer!!
