Touch A Truck 2014...

Touch A Truck this year in July did not disappoint us!  Even Lydia loved climbing up on the big trucks and tractors!  Our friend Sarah Brown and Sara Fillmann and her two kids- Eric & Kirsten joined us this year!  

The Metro Bus- Jeremiah loves the bus- this week someone at Kroger asked him if he was going to school and he told them that he wanted to- then after nap all he talked about was going on the bus to school- what a funny kid.  He even got his backpack on and pretended to ride his little bus.  

I think one of Lydia's favorite things lately has been getting a balloon- she loves balloons!  One of our highlights too was playing in the rocks after our picnic lunch and watching the helicopter land and take off and getting to climb inside- not while it was moving of course.  

Chick-Fil-A Dress Like A Cow- 2014

In July- we dressed like a cow for Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-A.  We even won a gift basket- now we have a "BIG COW" that the kids love!  Lydia especially has learned the word cow and often hugs and attacks her big cow!  We went with my friends Sarah and Sara- Michael decided to ditch the girl outing and head to a Reds Game. :)  So he got to miss dressing like a cow this year but we will get him next year! 

Blueberry Picking...

Last week, we went on another little field trip- blueberry picking!  We went with our friends the Samads and had great fun picking some berries on a beautiful cool day!  So we lost half our bucket when Jeremiah knocked it over- but for the most part- it went pretty well.  At one point though- the kids were chasing each other through the blueberry patch- that and I think they ate a TON of blueberries!  But who is counting anyway right?  Maybe we should have been.

Kids First Camping Trip... July 2014

 We have been wanting to take the kids on a first camping trip this whole summer but with schedules and busyness- it never happened until last week!  We had a 24 hour window- the weather was gorgeous- in the 70s and we decided to go for it!  We went to Miami Whitewater Park (only 30 minutes from us).  We left after naps Thursday and barely fit it all in our car.  Daddy put up the tent while Mommy took the kids to the park- to get them out of the way.  

 Jeremiah was very helpful with the fire- Lydia well, she just sat and pointed to things- she wanted to get down so bad but as she is not walking- we decided not let her get too muddy.

 Eating S'mores and hot dogs on the fire!

 Jeremiah could not wait to go to bed and sleep in the tent.  That night we took a night walk and did some firefly hunting and collected them in a jar to watch them light up.  We put the kids to bed and it literally took Jeremiah until 11pm to fall asleep- he was so excited.  So far we all fit in our 4 person tent- it is very cozy in there with one kid on each side of us.  

 Jeremiah loved playing with his trucks in the mud!

 Friday morning- we went to a splash park and feed the ducks and walked and rode our bike.  We were so thankful for a beautiful trip- as soon as we got home- it rained the whole night.

So:  Other than Lydia not being able to walk and screaming for everything she saw, Jeremiah having trouble going to sleep- oh and our air mattress deflated overnight, and I did have to go to the bathroom a few times in the middle of the night without waking the babes, and a raccoon we heard in our camp- well, I think we would do it again...  We just know the parents won't get much sleep and it takes a lot to pack it all and pack it all up!

Day #3- The Swimming Saga...

Well, today it rained most of the day.  Thankfully, we were able to get our swim lesson in between the thunder and rain showers.  Jeremiah still cried through most of the lesson today- maybe a little less but not much!

But... Tuesday night I took him to the pool and he did great- he wore his swimmies all by himself and once he got confident he could float in the water pretty well- he was brave and bold and didn't want me to touch him or even hug him- what a funny boy...  Today he couldn't stop hugging me before they took him to the water- funny boy!  Guess we need a few more talks on bravery in our house!  But at least we had some victory last night!

Swim Ministry Week- Day 2

This week- Jeremiah is involved in Swim Ministry through College Hill Church- needless to say on Day 1- he cried through the whole lesson, Day 2- he still cried through the whole lesson.  His teacher said tomorrow- he can't cry- he can hum- we will see how that goes.  

Jeremiah loves the water but he does not like swimmies- give him his raft at the pool and he feels safe and secure.  With swimmies- he feels vulnerable and scared.  But we are making it through!