Summer Pics

When summer starts I always feel that there's so much time to do everything that there's not time to do during the school year.  3 months of not rushing out of the house in the morning and worrying about getting things done both at school and at home.  However, after 9 years of teaching I'm learning that summers are anything but relaxing (wait, they were kind of relaxing when I didn't have kids ... but I was still taking classes so it was not completely relaxing).

So what have we done this summer... well, we started with swimming lessons and VBS at church and in the mix of all of that, we bought a trailer at Sandy Pines.  For years we've gone there visiting Luke's parents and even doing some camping of our own out there.  We'd always drive around looking at trailers and talking about what kind we would want and where we'd want it.  Well, over Memorial Day weekend we made a low offer to someone who had their trailer listed for 2 years and was on the golf course there.  We didn't think they'd accept but low and behold, two days later we went to talk with her and things started rolling.  June 12 we finally signed for the lot and trailer and our summer fun there began.  The trailer was nothing special and we talked of doing something in the next few years but a week after being there (and realizing that it really wasn't made for our family... one bedroom and the boys sleeping on a small pull out couch) my brother told us about a trailer for sale that would be perfect for us.  Well, that worked out too so on July 5 we had our old trailer removed and the new trailer brought in.  We are absolutely in LOVE with the new trailer - tons of space and most importantly, air conditioning!!!!!  Needless to say, we've been spending more time at Sandy Pines swimming, playing, moving things around and just enjoying some time together.  The boys do not love leaving there (a nice way of saying that they think we're terrible to take them away) but every once in awhile we're needing to come home and enjoy being home. 

Lydia in the old trailer.... one day I looked in the window while she was supposed to be napping and instead found a little face peeking out ... can she be that old already?!

Moving the picnic shelter off our lot so they could get the old trailer off.

Luke, Jackson, Brendan and Trent watching the guys work on getting the trailer off.

A quick breakfast in the trailer before heading the swimming lessons at Sandy Pines.

Happy 5th Birthday Jackson!

When I asked Jackson what kind of cake he wanted, he said "sprinkled" cake.  He even helped make it ... although both the boys did get quite a few sprinkles on the floor!  I love his expression - I can almost read his mind ... "yes... I'm FINALLY 5 and this is all for me!"

The BIG ball that Jackson got from grandma and grandpa Hansen.  Yikes!  He loves it!

Luke found the gumball machine awhile back and both boys were thrilled with it.  Of course we had to put a limit on how many times they can use it during the day:)

Miss Lydia wanted in on all the fun - her favorite part, crawling to all the wrapping paper and then trying to stuff it in her mouth before I got to her.

The boys and one of their favorite exhibits at the zoo - the bears.

Aunt Sara and the kids ... we LOVE her!

This birthday is going down as one of the most exciting ones for Jackson.  He waited all month long for his birthday when he would turn 5!  The countdown was excruciating for him but his birthday finally arrived.  Our little guy is a whole hand!!!!!!  A couple weeks before we had celebrated the June birthdays with my family and then night before his birthday we celebrated with the Hansen's.  On his birthday we had a pretty low key day (our first low key day of the summer!).  Jackson would walk by his wrapped presents all day waiting for the moment when Luke would come home and then Jackson could unwrap them.  (How awful are we making him wait?!).  Luke did get out of work early and we then headed to the zoo.  We surprised Jackson by having Aunt Sara join us there as well.  I'm pretty sure his smile remained plastered to his face as he slept ... our little guy is now our 5 year old.