Summer, Continued!

"Look at me mommy.  I'm a baby, I'm a baby."  Direct quote from Morgan.  Enough said. 

 It has gotten hot here, which means we've been spending a lot of time at the pool.  It isn't all that fun having an infant at the pool, but our favorite pediatrician told us to put some sunscreen on him and take him swimming.  It's made it a bit easier and he likes snuggling his mama in the pool.  (Unfortunately, he doesn't like splashing, which kind of goes hand in hand with swimming).  For some odd reason though, he really enjoys having sunscreen put on him.  Little man is now 12 pounds and almost 2.5 months.  Crazy!

 Last Tuesday was superhero night at Prasco Park and the kids and I made superhero capes, which they wore for all of 5 minutes once we got there.

 Tessa loves getting her face painted when we are there.  She does not love washing it off when we get home.

 And, ta da!  Our new swingset has arrived.  It was installed on Monday evening and the kids are loving it.  It is so much bigger and sturdier than the one left by the sellers when we bought the house.  Now all we need is an infant swing and Nolan will be all set up come fall.

Things I'm looking forward to: a trip to Naples with Nate and Nolan for an upcoming wedding, visiting the Kings Island waterpark with my older two and enjoying these last six weeks of summer before I head back to work mid-August.  Oh, and Nolan turning three months so I can start working out regularly and he can go to daycare at the gym.  I really need to fit back in my clothes or I'll have to buy a new wardrobe when school starts!

Summertime

I think it is safe to say that summertime is my favorite time of year...

I hope our kids would agree!

Summer's in Full Swing!

Now that Tessa is finished with school, it makes outings a bit more fun/manageable with our schedule.  We tried to squeeze in several outings this week, as next week she has Vacation Bible School at church in the mornings.  Yesterday we enjoyed the Cincinnati Zoo.  The weather was gorgeous.  Not too hot for Nolan in his infant seat and comfortable for everyone else.  My parents joined me, which was a huge help as it was super crowded.  The kids enjoyed their first ICEE (Morgan did not want to join in for the picture as he was enjoying his too much to scoot over).

 We also went to Glenwood Gardens.  It is a super cute park in Hamilton County with a giant tree playhouse, a garden, an education center, trains, etc.

 Here is Morgan watering some of the flowers in the garden.

 Brothers!  Morgan loves Nolan so much...he hugs him at least 20 times a day.

 We also visited our neighborhood pool for the first time.  Our neighborhood has a lot of older kids and my were all the little girls mesmerized by my kids.  I had many offers to watch them!  I actually took one girl up on it since she lives across the street and she watched Nolan yesterday for the first time so I could go to the gym.  She is going to start watching him a few days a week in the morning so I can go. Yeah for getting back in shape and losing these stubborn last 10 pounds or so!

 And this one got out of order...but one more from the zoo.  The big kids ditched me for grandma!

 Last but not least, we started swim lessons last week.  I have been meaning to get Tessa back in lessons for awhile, but was waiting until Morgan was old enough.  He finally is and every Monday afternoon they will be learning to swim at Lifetime.  I'm hoping Tessa makes enough progress to pass the swim test and do the slides.  She is awfully close already, so I am sure it is only a matter of time.

Cheers to summer fun!  And if you are local, there are two fun events coming up next week. Monday there is a juggler at MECC, with performances at 1 and 7.  Since this is where Tessa is going to kindergarten, I thought it would be a nice way to introduce the building to her.  And, Tuesday night is Chick-fil-a night at Prasco Park.  Free chick-fil-a, ice cream, inflatables...not to mention a baseball game!

Washington Park

We stepped outside of our little suburban bubble this weekend and checked out a new park downtown, Washington Park.  The splash park was amazing and they had a pretty neat playground as well, though we did not play on it.  (We parked on the street and I only had enough coins for an hour and 15 minutes, which passed quickly playing in the fountains and having a snack).

 Nolan still likes to nap on most of our excursions.  I won't complain...

 There was some sort of sports league event going on and the Bengal Tiger was there.

A nice new playground and the kids enjoyed themselves.  It actually reminded me of Minnesota.

Pre-K Graduate!

Yesterday, this little girl had her very last day of preschool at Kids R Kids.  She was so looking forward to her last day with her friends, knowing she gets to spend the whole summer at home with Mommy, Morgan, and Nolan (and Daddy in the evenings).

 The graduation ceremony was adorable!  It kind of made me sad that Morgan isn't going to be going to school there next year, but I know a nanny is the best option for next year with keeping everyone happy and healthy (and completely best for little Nolan).  The class performed a song or material from each of their specials (Math, Japanese, Sign Language, Spanish, Music, etc) and then received a diploma as they walked across the stage.

 Not sure what she is doing in the picture below, but she sure was mesmerized by the tassel!

 Love this picture.  Tessa has her eyes closed and I'm not sure what Morgan is doing, but it is entertaining!

 Mommy and Tessa!

 Grandma and Papa Steve with our little graduate!

 My parents with all three kids.

 Tessa with her pre-K best friend, Kendall!

 And there you have it.  We now have a kindergartener!