It has been awhile...and lots of happenings here at our house

I never wanted to have to start a post by saying..."it's been awhile", but here I am saying it.  I think of blogging often, but have just not taken the time to do it.

I can't document all we've done in the last month or two, but here's a few pictures to enjoy, in no particular order:

There was some fishing...

some kayaking...

a piano recital...

a weekend get-away with the Miller family in Indiana...

a Churchill Downs weekend with the Browning family...

raising butterflies...

making home made Cheez-Its...

new glasses for Ellie...

and last but not least, there was some hula hooping...

It's been a fun summer!

Memorial Day 2012

John and I took the kids to a local state park for a hike on Memorial Day.  Austin LOVED it.  I think he talked the entire time...he liked the waterfalls, the trees, the bugs, the creek, etc etc.  Ellie did REALLY well...for Ellie.  She didn't complain until we were 1/2 way done.  That is pretty good for her.  All in all it was a nice day.

A great day for a hike and a great day for an ice cream treat on the way home.

Austin's first tie

So, Austin, and the rest of us, were going to attend Jordan's wedding.  This is Austin's first cousin to get married.  I assume there will be lots more weddings to attend, since Austin has 11 other cousins!  But, this was the first time that I thought that Austin was old enough to actually wear a tie to an event.

Austin was pretty excited about a tie.  He wanted a "clip-on" tie because a friend of his had one.  I bought a clip-on tie and a zip-up tie (if anyone has seen one of those).  Well, they weren't quite right, so I went ahead and bought a "real" tie.  Lucky for me, Austin was okay with the real tie.

John and Austin got ready together.  Super cute to see them!  Austin seemed pretty proud of his tie and as a brave little guy on a 93 degree Saturday, he wore that tie until half way through the reception when 2 of his other cousins went to play Frisbee with him outside.  At that  point he took it off.  Talk about a hot, sweaty day!

My little boy is all grown up!

Ellie's Art Show

I have so many things to update!  (John and I have been busy watching Downton Abbey in the evenings - which has been keeping me AND the computer busy so my blog posts have been lacking).  Hopefully, I'll make up for one or two postings tonight, before we watch the next episode...

Ellie had her Art Show at school the other day.  They did a great job with lots of art exhibits, videos, docents explaining how the art was created and a mosaic in progress that everyone could add to.  It was fun to see what Ellie and her friends have made in art this year and then we enjoyed a treat at McDonald's on the way home.  Enjoy the pictures!

Busy, Busy, Busy

I thought that when my spring classes were over, I would have lots of time to get to get other things done like cleaning, yard work, exercising, organizing, blogging...  But, it seems like things just keep getting busier and busier!  This weekend our schedule looks like this:  John's Half Marathon, church picnic, church, playdate, Austin's school art show,  Ellie's soccer game, and a graduation party.  That might not be as busy as some families, but it is PLENTY busy for me!  Here are a few photos of what we've been up to lately.

This is a picture of the kids discovering that the fox that we have seen outside of church week after week, is actually fake!!!  I'm guessing it is an attempt to keep the geese away from the church parking lot??

This is a picture of Austin shooting hoops at his school in his brand new basketball shoes.

Here are the kids climbing Aunt Jeannie and Uncle Gene's tree in Roseville, Ohio.

Austin was a good sport and posed for a picture after his Kindergarten music program.  He did a great job singing and DANCING on the stage!

Lastly, here is a picture of Ellie at my desk.  She spent the day with me for "Take Your Child to Work Day" last week.  She spent the day, helping me around the office, meeting the president in the Board Room, going to McDonald's for lunch and going back for an ice cream sundae later in the afternoon.

Excitement on our street

The Browning's got a new basketball hoop.  We were the excitement of the neighborhood today!  Lots and lots of hoops, friends, and fun today!

Austin had his Upward Basketball banquet tonight too - he got a brand new basketball!  We'll definitely put that to good use.

ever wish you had brought your camera????

Not very often do John or I say "I wish we had brought the camera".

But, today was one of those days!

Austin had a basketball game today.  Not many of the basketball games this season have been much to talk about.  And, knowing which few minutes of a full game to actually get the camera out and record is something that takes some expertise...so we had NOT brought our camera.

John, Ellie and I sat at the end of the court.  Ellie was playing Austin's DS game and John and I looked out onto the court and wondered where was the 5th team player was and where was the coach!?!?!  A young boy in flip flops was helping them warm up, but no coach in sight.   I felt like this was going to be a LONG, disappointing game (and I assume John felt the same way).  But then, 1 minute (not even exaggerating) before the game started, the assistant coach ran into the room.  A bit of a bright spot needless to say.

Well, we don't know what happened, but Austin had the GAME OF HIS LIFE!!!!  (he is only 6, though).

Austin scored at least 3 awesome baskets!  One of the baskets he scored after taking the ball all the way down the court and shot it from pretty far away (me, as a mom, would say it was from a 3-point range for a 6 year-old).

He also had several passes and a few rebounds.  The boy he was guarding was one very quick, little kid that got away from Austin a few times, but I'm not sure I could have done any better at guarding him!

Way to got Little Lions!  It was your best game ever!!  Lots of teamwork and lots of fun to watch!

Wish we had our camera with us!!!