VBS & 4th of July

I was reprimanded for not keeping up with the blog, but there hasn't been a whole lot going on. We have been going to the pool a lot so far. The girls are much better this year. Now that they are more steady on their feet I think they are more comfortable walking in the water. I definitely need to look into swimming lessons for next summer. I'd like to find an outdoor pool for them, so mommy can get a little sun while waiting for them.

John attended Vacation Bible School at church this year. I asked him if he was learning about Jesus, and he told me, "Jesus wasn't there today, but I think he's coming tomorrow." He got a CD of songs they learned and we have been listening to it a lot. He sits in the back of the car, singing along, and doing all the motions to the songs. Even the girls are starting to. After the 1st day of VBS they had a family bonfire and the kids had their first taste of s'mores..

For the 4th of July we went to a BBQ at our friends house and had a 4th of July / 1st Birthday Party for their son. The kids had a great time playing with all the other little ones there. They even got to stay up super late to watch the fireworks and play in the rain. Natalie was not very impressed by the display. John liked it, but covered his ears the whole time. We'll have to try ear plugs next year. Rebecca loved every minute of it.
I completed my 1st sewing project. I made John a pair of pirate boxers. He loves them, and this pose was all on his own. I made a few mistakes along the way, but I guess practice makes perfect. Next up, nightgowns for the girls.
General Updates:

John is doing well in Tae Kwon Do. He will have another belt test (green stripe) at the end of summer. He has some major issues with impulse control, but in general is very helpful and sweet. He got to go to the circus with Maw Maw and the transportation museum with G.G. recently. He seems to do better on outing when it is just one on one. He has a new favorite show, Make Way for Noddy, and unfortunately has started calling people by one of the characters names....Big Ears. We had a talk today about how people might not like being called that, and he was very confused and kept telling me, "But Big Ears is nice!"

Rebecca is a total girly girl. She has taken over all my chapsticks "chap-chick" and is always carrying a purse, usually mine. Every time I walk into my bedroom, she is right behind me on a mission to get into my jewelry armoire. She still carries her blankey everywhere and even a short car ride without it results in tears and screams for her "kay-key". She has also started copying John. Everything he does, she has to try and she is even repeating phrases, like Big Ears.

Natalie is very into singing lately, mostly the ABC's. They aren't always in the right order, but she has the tune down. She also really likes counting, but it is mainly just a random order of numbers with just a few in order. She is getting much better at sharing, but has also discovered the word no. She will tell me no even as she is doing what I asked. I guess she just likes the way it sounds. She loves having her picture taken and gives the biggest cheesiest smiles, and as soon as she is done she says, "let me see!" What did kids do before digital cameras and their instant gratification?

Our fun weekend

We have had a busy couple of days, and some super tired kids. I thought summer was supposed to be relaxing! :) Mike left town early Friday morning for a fishing trip to Canada, leaving me to plat single mom for a week. Right now it is Tuesday and I feel like he's been gone for a month. Friday John had his last day of summer camp and one of his friends mom's offered to pick him up for me and take him to her house to play for the rest of the day. Woo hoo! Thank you Shannon. So with John off to Nicholas' house, the girls and I spent the morning at the office and then had a fun filled day of errands. After a quick trip home to let the dog out, we went to pick up John and headed to my mom's house for a going away party for my cousin Liz. She left this weekend for 3 more years in Japan doing missionary work. It was nice having everyone together since all the cousins have gotten pretty spread out across the country (and world). John had a good time playing with my cousin's friend's son Eli, and everyone had fun playing with the bubble machines. I don't think I will ever understand the utter fascination kids have with bubbles, but I won't complain. It certainly is a cheap and easy thing to keep their attention. We ended up staying later than expected and got home and went straight to bed.

The next morning we had a date with Mike's sisters and mom to go to the Zoo. His sister Lori and her family were in town from Kansas City, and unfortunately Mike didn't get to see them due to his trip. We ended up getting to the zoo around 10:00 and went straight to the new stingray exhibit. We missed the feeding, but got to stick our hands in and pet the stingrays. Well, John and I did. The girls were pretty content with just splashing. We checked out the bears and penguins, took a train ride and a carousel ride, and had lunch. By that time the kids were getting a little cranky due to lack of sleep, so the 4 of us took off for home. Even with as tired as they were, they still didn't nap well.

Well, that's all for now. We have a date with some friends at the park tomorrow, but it is supposed to rain, so we may end up at the train store that John loves. Other than that, no real plans...just waiting for Dad to come home.

Natalie, looking a little intimidated by the huge meatball sandwich on her plate.

I seriously cannot believe she ate that whole thing...and she's the little one! That girl must have one heck of a metabolism.

Yellow Stripe

I forgot I hadn't updated about John's promotion test. He passed! He is offically a yellow stripe and he is SOOO proud! He was called on to count in Korean. He got 1-6 by himself, but need a little help on 7-10. I thought the testing was supposed to be really quick, so I took the girls with me. Unfortunately he was in the 2nd group, so we ended up having to wait over an hour to see him. I was going crazy trying to keep the girls entertained and quiet. Had I know about the wait I would have brought some raisins and coloring books. Instead they passed the time cleaning their dolls with wet wipes and climbing all over me.
Here is John (in the middle) receiving his new belt. He seems to really like his class...as opposed to his hockey lessons. Summer session starts back up next week and he is already talking about everything he needs to learn to earn his green stripe.

Tae Kwon Do

Friday is John's 1st promotion test in Tae Kwon Do. If he passes he will go from a white belt, to a yellow stripe. At this point, I'm not sure if he will pass or not. He knows all of the required moves, but he also needs to know how to count to 10 in Korean, memorize and repeat a "home rule". We have been practicing, but it doesn't seem to be clicking yet. Here are a few pics of him showing off his skills.

Memorial Day Weekend

On Saturday, Mike and I took the kids to a friends lake house for the day. It was only about an hour away, so it was a prefect day trip for the kids. We arrived around lunchtime and had a nice picnic lunch outside. After eating, we all took a pontoon boat ride around the lake. It was so nice, and Mike and I were actually talking about getting a place there. Probably just with a camper at first, but eventually a house. During the boat ride we came up to a little playground, so Mike and the kids got off to play while I got to sit and relax in the boat. After playing around for a little while we headed back to the house so the boys could go fishing. John caught one little fish, but unfortunately I was up on the deck and couldn't get a picture before they threw it back in. The girls stayed up with me and had a great time going person to person seeing who they could mooch food off of. John had a fun surprise visitor. Our friend's nephew is one of the assistants in John's Tae Kwon Do class, so he was very excited to see Mr. Tyler outside of class. Surprisingly, the girls actually laid down for a short nap in the afternoon, and Mike and his friends took a few rides on the bar stool carts. To me, these look like an accident waiting to happen, but I guess boys will be boys. John DID NOT ride them, but had fun posing on them for pictures. :) After a long day of fun and sunshine, we headed back home. I really hope we get to go back again this summer, once the lake has warmed up a little so we can go swimming!

singing songs and having fun

Tuesday was John's last day of preschool this year. They ended the year with a concert for the parents of songs they have learned throughout the year. Here is John singing a few.

Today was the school picnic. They rent out a pavilion in a nearby park and have a potluck lunch. The kids get to run around with their friends and play on the playground, and the parents get to sit in the shade and snack and talk. It is really such a nice enjoyable day for everyone. This year they even had the sprinkler on, so we came home with a soaking wet little boy. Next year I need to remember to bring a swimsuit, or at least a towel.

My gosh, I think he looks so grown up in this picture!

Natalie making cheesy faces for the camera.

We don't have a whole lot planned for the summer yet. Last year John did 5 weeks of camp at the preschool, but it just made those weeks so hectic trying to get everyone ready and out the door everyday, that we only signed him up for one this year. It is Dinosaur camp though, so he should really enjoy it. I'm hoping to get to the lake a time or two, and Mike wants to take John fishing around here more this year. I'm sure we'll find something to occupy our time. :)

Life Lessons

An important lesson was learned by John today. When sitting down to go potty, if you realize you also have to pee, either stand up, or point your boy business down. We had pee EVERYWHERE!