Happy August!

August was spectacular...in every way.

Bachan & Jichan visited us for 2 weeks!!! Happy birthday to my mom!

We went camping on Kelley's Island for a long weekend. Ferry rides, golf carts, s'mores, tents, fishing, hiking, swimming, eating, card playing. We did it all. Next year, we're bringing our bikes. =)

A combination of summer camp, good weather and getting older, Colin & Justin really got into sports this summer. Football, soccer, basketball, swimming, bike riding....we did it all.

This is what happens when your big brother steals your sun glasses and refuses to give them back. (Colin on the left and Justin on the right.)

And this is what it looks like when you steal your sunglasses back. haha.

Like I said, Colin's confidence in swimming sky-rocketed this summer. Here is his cannon ball off of the high-dive!


And our friends invited us to their neighborhood baseball game. HOW FUN! Colin hit a few balls (and scored!) and Justin helped Jack play catcher. I worked the peanut stand. =)

This is Colin's happy place.

Justin's happy place: Playground, brother and popcorn.

We snuck in an ice cream trip on the very last day of summer vacation. My boys + ice cream = My happy place!

Justin needed a family photo for school - so we also snuck in a family selfie the night before school started. =)

First day of 1st grade!!

And our city has the best summer parties! Everything is free at their family fun day - this year, we did zip lining (yes, that's Colin and me on the zip line!), bungee jumping, jump houses and games galore!

Justin preferred the craft station and ice cream over the zip lining and bungee jumping! =)

Colin is in 1st grade and Justin started pre-kindergarten at a new school. Both boys are doing great and we're impressed with their transitions to the new school (for Justin) and 1st grade (for Colin)! My new job is surely keeping me busy...and I'm truly enjoying the work. And Jack is designing our new living room built-ins as we speak. =) Life is good.

1st Fishing Trip

Jack took the boys fishing to Mosquito Lake - and it was a huge hit!

• "I caught 10 fish!" - Colin
• "I caught 4. Mostly, I caught seaweed!!!" - Justin
• "I caught the biggest fish." - Jack
• And Jack reports that there were no mosquitoes at Mosquito Lake. Perhaps I'll bring a good book and join them next time. =)

Summer Fun

We love summer. We love the sun, the food, the friends, the trips. We love it all!

We're on bikes! Colin is on 2 wheels and Justin upgraded a size. Our top two places to bike ride are Colin's elementary school and...Starbucks! =)

 Kids found a tree frog and Grandma helped them build a habitat. (the next week, they even found a toad!)

 Jack's goal was to cut down 2 of grandma's 4 apple trees on one of our visits. Who knew how HUGE one of those trees were?! We got through 1 and called it quits for the day.

 Jack took the kids to Cedar Point for the first time (with the Virgina Elwells and other cousins). It was a HUGE hit! Colin rode the bigger roller coasters and declared the Gemini his favorite. Justin rode his happy little heart away in the Snoopy area. All of the rides were perfectly his size. Only pics of Justin - Colin was busy on the big rides. But Colin will tell you all about those rides if you ask. =)

 Cousin Time! Play hard, sleep hard. haha.

Colin busy building away and Justin made me a necklace. And Justin's necklace is the first decoration in my new office. =)

A summer full of swim dates, playground time, birthday parties and barbeques so far. No complaining from us - life is good.

Other updates:

• Colin: Loves swimming, bike riding and Jack is teaching him archery. He is taking a break from legos and dedicating his time to a video game called Dragon City.
• Justin: Loves summer camp more and is making more friends in his new school. He loves nerf guns and wrestling. He is constantly asking us what new words mean and quizzing us on math and spelling.
• Jack: Busy and enjoying life. Taking the boys fishing and hiking. Teaching them archery.
• Jamie: Enjoying the new job and keeping busy. Cooking, playing, enjoying every minute of this 4 & 6 year old stage of life.

Happy 4th of July & Jack's Birthday!

4th of July = Camping with cousins! (in our backyard, while I slept peacefully in my bed.) Matt & Elena came down from Michigan to have fun with us. Camping, hiking, swimming, eating, campfiring, playing. We had a blast!

Tents went up...

 Turtles came out for a stroll...(Ana LOVED these turtles.)

 Sweet Ana with her butter and a little bit of toast.

 Alex and Colin (Colin loved his baby Danny time and stole his sunhat for a bit.)

 Danny is up and walking!

 Justin loving tent time.

 Cheers! Campfires and Sprite.

 Sammy and Sarah joined us for dinner and s'mores!!!

 Happy Birthday, Jack!

The best grill master!

Hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend! We had a blast!