Little of This and a Little of That

Nolan had his very first eye exam so he could start school.

He did good!

One of our frequent places we stop, Chik-fil-a, had a dress like a cow day and get free food. 

So we did just that. Brittany came up with this quick idea and we enjoyed some chicken with good friends. 

These beautiful girlies all wearing Matilda Jane pretties. Ella wishes she could see her second cousins more often. 

She did it! Potty training 101 was a success! She rocked it out for just turning 2 1/2.

So proud of you Miss Ella!

We had fun at VBS! Ella's first! 

Kara talked me into training for our first Half Marathon. We had just finished our very first 9 miler!

The rain made it an adventurous run. 

Nana and Ella at Mello Mushroom.

I am telling you.... these kiddos love their daddy! I don't blame them because I love him too!

Nat, you are an awesome husband and dad!

We had some fun times at Southland pool this summer. These two really enjoyed being around each other. They both swim like fish at four years old. 

I had to sit in the very back of the van so we had room for Aunt Helen to go to dinner with us. 

Ella was not so sure about me sitting back there but holding my finger made her feel better. So sweet!

This is a rare moment these days for Nathaniel. He is almost 9 years old and hardly ever takes a nap but the lake wiped him out that day. 

Kids Triathlon

Nathaniel heard about the kids triathlon and he was ready to sign up.

I wasn't sure if he would follow through because I could not get him to practice. 

He either wakes up on or off and thankfully he woke up on the day of the race. 

The race included swimming 100 meters, biking 2 miles, and running 1 mile. 

This mama couldn't have been more proud to cheer him across the finish line. 

Nathaniel you did great! 

My littlest Man is 5!

I can't believe it! You are 5!

Your smile will melt any heart. You will always be my little miracle baby. 

You are one mischievous little boy! You can be so loving and sweet at times and other times you can be pretty mean.  

Lately, when you are mad at me you tell me, "I don't love you anymore!" And I say, "Nolan, don't say things you don't mean." And you yell at me again, " I really don't!"

Five minutes later, you usually tell me, "I love you mom."

Not sure what to do with you sometimes. 

These two cuties will melt your heart!

Not sure what to say about this one except thats your dad.

You had a fun party!

Yay! Legos! Thats one of your favorites. 

Can't get enough of my girl!

At 2 1/2 years old you are so smart! You amaze us everyday. You know almost all your letters and sounds. I am pretty sure you learned them from playing the starfall app on my phone. You are obsessed with iphones, puzzles, books, and diego. Dora and Diego go everywhere with us. They are part of the family. 

You are potty training and you have rocked it!!! So proud of you! 

You love going to the lake and riding on Daddy's boat. You always tell him, "Go fast daddy!"

My favorite part about boat rides is your snuggles. You always crawl up in my lap and hold on tight. 

It is such a joy to be your mother! You are just a ball of personality! 

Back to School! Nolan Starts Pre-K

Every Year I say it! I cannot believe I have a 3rd grader! 

One thing is for sure....Nathaniel always gets excited about going back to school and finding out who his teacher is. 

You got the teacher you wanted! Mrs. Kitchens! 

This year Nolan gets to go to school too! He is going to  Pre-K at BGCA!

Wow! How time flies!

Nolan, you were so excited about being a preschooler. The last week at Mrs. Vivian's you would ask me every morning, "Am I a preschooler yet?!!!!!!"

Well today is your day! 

Everyone one tells me your teacher, Mrs. Scipio, is awesome!

You gave mommy a hard time this morning but you were not scared at all. 

My Little Soccer Goalie!

Nathaniel played in his first soccer tournament at the Bluegrass State Games in Lexington.

He was so excited to play goalie and he did a great job!

Nolan was the king of the cooler and snow cones!

Ella had her first weekend by herself at Nana and Pops and my old stuffed animals.

Last Day of Second Grade

Nathaniel had the best year! Mrs. Dwyer rocks!!!!! 

Holiday World

We went to Holiday World this summer! Nothing like seeing Santa in the middle of the hot summer!

This was Nolan's first time to go. He was finally tall enough to be able to ride a lot of the rides.

My friend, Kara, and I decided to brave it together with the four boys. 

Nolan and Charlie were big buddies for the day!

Nathaniel and Jake rocked out the roller coasters together!

We were there from open until close. We literally rode until they shut the rides down. 

The last 10 minutes were very stressful because we thought these two boys were lost.

After frantically looking for them and asking workers and others if they had seen them I realized they were still on the swings. They never got off and rode two times in a row. 

That's the worst feeling thinking your child is gone.

But overall the trip was a success!

Happy 4th!

We had a big 4th of July week!

It started off with swimming and ice cream at the neighbors house.

Are three kiddos absolutely adore our neighbors.

We were invited to go with some friends to the 4th of July bash at Olde Stone.

Nolan loves the pool there because he can back his boat on the boat ramp. (zero entry pool)

We had a lot of fun with all the yummy food, games, and good friends. 

Nolan dared me to get my face painted. He got the biggest kick out of that. The boys have never been fond of face paint but they sure were excited that I did it. Proud to be an American!

Nathaniel and I ran in the 4k fun run the morning of the 4th. The only entry fee was to bring 4 can goods. It was his first official run. We had stayed out late the night before and it was already really hot at 7:30am. He didn't do great but I was still proud of him for wanting too. 

 We had dinner with friends at the lake and then we were able to meet up with Nat's cousin and family to watch the fire works. These are not great photos since we were using a phone but it works.

We sat on the dock to watch. It is so neat seeing all the boats on the water at night. It's like a little city on the water. 

Wow check out those muscles! 

Nolan got up on the wakeboard all by himself for the first time. I did take some pictures with my phone but it's too bad my phone is at the bottom of the lake. Yea, pretty sick about the phone going overboard.

We also tubed and road jet ski's. I guess since the 4th landed on a Wednesday it kept a lot of the lake peeps away. It was a peaceful couple of days without all the boaters. 

We ended are little staycation at Paradise Point with the best hotdogs ever and some yummy desserts. If you live close and are in the area you should really stop in and check it out. 

Happy 4th!