Where did July go?

Holy cow! It's been a while since I've posted. Just lots of fun summer things going on, I guess.
We went to Seneca over 4th of July for family Christmas. It was such a great time. We all loved it.
On the way home we stopped in Topeka for fireworks. EK was not impressed, so we just headed to bed. Will had a great time, though! And then on the 4th we got to see our friends from Texas for a quick visit.

The whole gang

The "kids"

The great-grandkids

The grandkids

Too cute not to add :)

Getting ready for the fireworks

Will & Cooper had a good time playing together

Not too bad with all 4 sorta looking at the camera!

Jackson playing hard to get.

Ok, maybe he's interested.

Nope, not that interested.

We've finished the t-ball season and it was definitely a success. Will really enjoyed it and looked forward to games (and post-game treats) the entire season.

We successfully broke Ellie Kate's pacifier habit. She was only taking it at bed time and the transition was much much easier than I expected. I had planned to have some elaborate story with a pacifier fairy and a new toy, but never got around to that. So, they just "disappeared", unannounced one Friday evening. After just a few days, there wasn't even fussing at bedtime anymore. Now if only it were that easy to break Will's thumb sucking.

Last weekend J & I went to the Oregon coast for my dear friend's wedding. It was a quick trip, but we very much enjoyed it. I'll post pics of that another time.

Summer fun

We've now finished the deck, swingset and have new patio furniture. The backyard is my FAVORITE place to be! The kids love playing out there. Virtually every day when we get home from school they're begging to go out and swing before I even have a chance to set my things down.

We had Dad, Kit & Casie over on Father's Day weekend for a little grilling and playing. The kids loved having new pushers!

It took Ellie Kate a couple days to try the baby swing, but once she did, she loved it! We've had multiple occasions of tears because it was time to go to bed or go inside for dinner, but "No! I want swing!" Will loves the glider. He thinks it's his pirate ship. He'll often sing while he's on it. His usual tunes are the Gaston song from Beauty & the Beast and some Enya. Eclectic tastes, don't you think?

The kids love the pool, but our hands are always full there so I haven't gotten any pictures yet. We did set up the sprinkler ball in the backyard, though, and they had a blast! It was perfect for us, too. Casie & I could get cooled off without getting soaked, but they kids got totally drenched just like they wanted.

Racing with Aunt Casie

Will loved doing this - I have no idea why. But, of course, EK had to try it too!

"This is the best day EVER!"

Our new swingset was installed yesterday. Will proclaimed this "the best day EVER!"

Both kids loved it - and loved different things. Will was all about the swings and Elle couldn't get enough of the slide. I have to keep an eye on her - she's such a fearless daredevil!

This is the backside of the set.

Will at the very top

EK pushing her brother out of the way so she could go down the slide.

Will's favorite part

Wedding

We were lucky to all be a part of Justin's sister's wedding last weekend! Of course, I was a horrible photographer and took very few photos. That's what professionals are for, right?


Will was a ring bearer, Ellie Kate was a flower girl, Justin was a groomsman, and I was a bridesmaid. In hindsight, it would have been good for me to have someone take a picture of the 4 of us together. In reality, I'm not sure the 4 of us were ever all happy and in the same place at the same time!

Both kids made it down the aisle just fine. Well, Elle was crying when Justin went down without her, regained her composure, then lost it again when I went down without her. Thankfully my niece dragged her out when it was time to go. Once E saw me, she was happy to walk down the aisle toward me. Will did great coming down the aisle, and looked so handsome in his tux. The grand plan was for the kids to sit with my mom during the ceremony. That lasted all of about 2 seconds. EK was quickly up with me, where I held her for much of the ceremony. (Warm weather, outside wedding, holding a little girl in a poufy dress = awesome wrinkles and sweat marks on a bridesmaid's dress.) EK babbled (though not terribly loud all the time) throughout the ceremony -- even saying "CHEESE" for the photographer trying to capture the bride & groom. At one point, she got down and threw the flower petals from her basket (since she didn't do it on the way down the aisle). When she realized her basket was empty, she just threw it too. It's a wonder anyone was able to pay attention to the ceremony! She was such a distraction!!

Will has grown quite fond of his sister and has a great sense of comfort when he's with her. So, when she came up with me, his anxiety level rose dramatically. Combine this with no nap, being overwhelmed by walking down the aisle in front of all these strangers, and you get a very emotional little boy who ended up standing next to his dad through the ceremony. Periodically, I would hear him trying to stifle sobs. I was waiting for Jenny to ask us to leave. I felt like we were such distractions! Thankfully, she did not ask us to leave, and actually still thinks our kids are great. I guess that's what aunts are for, right?!

Once the wedding was over, both kids were happy campers - running all over and entertaining plenty. They couldn't stay as late as the dance, so they just had their own - on the dance floor, with no music, while others ate dinner. What a proud mother I was. Blessedly, my mom took them home about 8 and J&I were able to enjoy a lovely evening without much more embarrassment.

Will claims he had a great time at Aunt Jenny's wedding, which I guess is all that matters. He even told my mom that he was going to wear his tuxedo the next weekend, too....to Jason & Kathy's wedding. Welcome back, imaginary friends!

First t-ball game

The first T-ball game was a success! Everyone did great. Will had a blast. He had quite the cheering section with 2 sets of grandparents, an aunt & cousin in addition to Elle & I. We're in a 4 & 5 yr old league and the team we played was a year old than us. It was amazing to see the difference in size and coordination! Of course, I took tons of pictures, but here are just a few. Oh - and one quick pre-game story. First, Will's game was at noon and he was dressed in his uniform by 9:30. Think he was excited? As he was getting dressed, he chose his Incredibles undies to wear. "They say POWER on them, mom, so they will give me power for my game today." Love it.

Justin is helping "coach". Here they are warming up before the game.

I love that the ball is right at his feet in this picture. I thought he had totally missed it, but J says that was just where he told him to stand. They were playing catch with another ball.

 

 

His first at bat:

Safe at first.

Every player bats every inning and they each only get to run one base. The last batter of each inning gets to run all the bases. They all play defense every inning and getting them to stay in any sort of position is hilarious. Half the team runs after a hit ball and they usually end up tackling each other trying to get it. The first inning, Will was catcher.

Ellie Kate kept trying to run out onto the muddy, muddy field. Thankfully, she became easily distracted once her cousin, grandparents and aunt arrived!

Some moments with Coach Daddy.

More defense...if you can call it that. :)

in the "ready" position

And the obligatory drawing in the dirt picture.

Aren't they cute?

And hooray for the playground equipment! This is where EK spent most of the game. Happy summer!