Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Storytime at the Riverwalk

Another group of people that I'm so grateful for is my playgroup mom friends. They have been a phenomenal support system- especially during the past few months. We usually get together a few times a week for some laughs and adult conversation, and oh yeah... so the kids can play together.

Here we are at the Riverwalk on a Wednesday morning for library storytime.

Avery, Erin, Evie, and Madeline watching the ducks






Reading with Grandma

The girls (and I) look forward to Wednesday afternoons when Grandma Hay comes to visit us! She provides entertainment and excitement for the girls, and a bit of respite for me to take a nap, or maybe even get a few jobs done. She also graciously provided homecooked meals for us during the weeks that I could barely look at food. We're so lucky to have grandparents who are so close and who love us so much!

Happy Father's Day!



Although we didn't have any projects planned for this summer, sometimes the projects seem to find us! At the height of my morning/all-day sickness in May, our water heater decided to give out and leak all over the basement carpet. We quickly got that cleaned up and replaced, but I noticed a few weeks later that we had some water leaking from the main water valve coming in to the house. We realized that it had likely been leaking since I had to turn off the water to the house when the water heater leaked. Although the carpet was wet, we were fortunately able to save it and only replace the carpet pad underneath... after Dan rebuilt some of the cabinets and replaced the water valve. This took 8 weeks due to the fact that life pretty much came to a grinding halt when I got pregnant and could barely take care of myself, much less the kids or the house. House projects got put on hold as Dan just tried to keep us afloat in daily life.


We sure missed using our playroom for those 8 weeks- especially on the hot and rainy days!



But we celebrated Father's Day by finishing the project and getting everything put back together. HOORAY!!



Caitlyn comes to visit!

In early June we got to meet Caitlyn Marie Murray for the first time! She and Aunt Laura came in for a quick visit since our plans to visit them this summer went by the wayside. Caitlyn is a beautiful and happy little baby with bright blue eyes.

Grandma and Grandpa and their girls.



Madeline especially loves playing with Caitlyn. She'll be a great big sister again soon!








The Morning Routine

Because I've felt so miserable, we've been fortunate to have a lot of help lately! Our mornings have started out with Grandpa Schmitt joining us for breakfast and then helping with laundry, cleaning, and getting kids dressed and ready for the day. The girls LOVE the yummy, sugary Fruit Harvest cereal that Grandpa brings over. When Evie sees him at the door, she is overcome with joy and excitement for "Haast" (Harvest)!

Labor Day Parade





Preschool "Step-Up" Ceremony

On the last day of preschool we attended a mini-graduation ceremony. The kids sang a song and did a little show for parents, then got a graduation certificate.








Madeline with her beloved teachers, Mrs. D. and Mrs. Melby.




This picture cracks Dan up! Apparently no one was interested in having their picture taken at the moment.