Summer Fun

I am still keeping 2 children (other than my own) every day during the week. I have had Jace, 14 months old, since he was 2 1/2 months old. The other, James Henry, 17 months old, has only been here for a few months. The 4 kids keep me busy but I enjoy it. (Most days!!)

Jace

James Henry

We have been very creative in finding activities here at home this summer, for we are not able to leave the house when the babies are here. We have made tents out of sheets and chairs and they've pretended to go camping in the living room.

The kids have even created their own restaurant called "Mama Mia's" and guess who their waitress is... you may have guessed it- Me /Mama!! I even created a menu for them to order from! We've had a lot of fun with it every week!

We had Mama Mia's outside this day!

We've also made crafts, colored, put together puzzles, played games, played outside (when the weather permits), watched movies, had sleepovers, and have even come up with some fun ideas that I have gotten from a website called Pintrest. (Yes, I have enjoy "pinning" cute ideas after the kids go to bed!!) I am happy to report that my kids have said the words, "I am bored" very little this summer!!  Here are a few pics I have taken here and there this summer...

Will being silly while we were playing in his room

 Anna being silly while we were playing in Will's room

Water day with friends at their house, here in the neighborhood. 

Anna making breakfast with me- Muffins!!

 Will playing with friends he had over

 Anna's best friend, Destiny, spent the night

Putting together puzzles outside

Playing a game of marbles! (our favorite family game)

On the weekends, Steven and I always try to come up with some fun, rather inexpensive things to do as a family. I will post more about all of the fun weekends at a later day.

So, STAY TUNED until next time!!

I'M BACK... My Computer Is Fixed!!

IT'S A MIRACLE!!  I am finally writing another blog post!!  I have gotten much grief from friends and family about my last post being Anna's Kindergarten graduation over a year ago...  Well, I have no more excuses for not blogging.  My wonderful hubby fixed our computer yesterday so I am getting caught up on all of the STUFF I need to do on our home computer and this is one of them! 

So... WOW, where do I even begin??  Our happy little family has done SO much since May of last year, I don't even know what to talk about first...  

If you were to ask the kids what we've done this summer their answer would be, "We went to the beach!"  We went to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, with my parents and grandmother, the first week of June and LOVED it! (They are wanting to back already)  I was unsure how they would take to the sand and salt water but we became "Beach Bums" that week to say the least- we were there almost every day.  We built sand castles, walked the beach searching for shells, watched pelicans dive for fish (at times nearly at our side), and the kids met other kids while there and played with them. 

In this pic, Will was pointing at an oncoming pelican that landed near us right after the pic was taken!!

When we weren't at the beach we were at the pool swimming! 

This is the only pool pic taken at the pool, they wouldn't be still long enough for me to take any--they were having too much fun!

(my grandmother and Anna)

The only day our feet didn't touch the ocean or pool is the last day we were there and the only water we touched was RAIN!!  So we made the best of it and went to Sawgrass Mills (a very large mall) and walked around after having lunch at the Rain Forest Cafe. 

They even rode the carousel there at the mall

Later that evening we went to IKEA.  The kids (both big and small) loved walking around the huge store of home furnishings. 

 We also took an air boat ride into the swamps and searched for alligators.  They got to see an alligator up close and personal after our ride at a separate show.  They even got to "touch" one!! 

 

 My dad and I even HELD the alligator!! They did not feel like I thought they would!

To remember our AWESOME  first trip to Florida, the each bought an alligator to play with on the way home.  Stuffed of course!

I promise, there will be more to come later about what all we've been up to, so.... STAY TUNED!!