July

Yep, didn't keep up with my goal to post more often. Oh well, what can you do? Here are a few highlights from July starting with celebrating the 4th at the McWilliams.

Jack and Olivia swinging on a swing...(to the tune of Kissing in a Tree)
The Crew of the 4th

Jack and Olivia starting off soft with Poppers...Love that they are surrounded by good influences like beer and vanilla vodka....taking advantage of the chance to say...it's not mine (although I wish it was).

You know there are kids involved when you have to start the fireworks in the daylight to accommodate bedtimes.

We did stay and do a bunch at night because us Relles are Rockstars...Jack was truly the dirtiest he has ever been (well other than that mud situation with Johnson at the Tailgate).

The famous dentist shot...just terrible (but had a good report on his teeth).

A little chess match between Father and Son...Jack won!

Family Movie Time at Toy Story 3. He used his money from Papa to buy a kids pack with a Coke like Dad...I snuck the chewy, sour stick thing out before he noticed to help preserve that report card from the dentist.

Pump It Up Jr. fun with Nathan (inside, cheap, and wears them out!).

In attempts to minimize the constant questions on when we are going to the beach Jack and I made a chain with stickers of beach life on the last one. Everyday he gets to take one off before bed....love that the chain is getting shorter.

When we made it there were 13 days and counting...

So parents of the year have for sure not been our title this summer. You know the routine that we are apparently never going to loose (not sure if it is truly habit, selfish, or maybe genetic)...up late, sleep in, nap during the day. Well here is an example I hope that child protective services don't get ahold of....Nick went out to cut the grass and didn't tell me. Jack was up eating breakfast, watching TV, and making a car train all by himself for well over an hour....TERRIBLE I KNOW (but in my defense I really don't sleep at night and didn't know he was hanging solo outside my slumber)!

Again...CPS is probably just crossing their t's before a home invasion...at a breakfast playdate we mentioned how well behaved the kids were being (lately they have been fighting like brothers and sisters-all of them). We knew they were in the bathroom playing with water in the sink (which is allowed with only cold and no sink stopping up). When Nick went to round up Jack for Soccertots he found Jack and Olivia washing dishes in her play kitchen which is IN HER ROOM....and they had water in the sink. I mean....can't blame them....much more realistic than washing dishes and food in the bathroom sink...they even had a towel they would lay them on to dry. The kitchen, food, and carpet were super wet. Helped clean up some while snapping some pictures and laughing...then headed out...sorry McWilliams...glad it wasn't at our house and a great teachable moment for Jack to not ever do it at our house! Next time we'll supervise a bit more...well maybe....the water I think was worth the adult conversation we had with the quiet time. Haven't had since March of 2007. :)

Flashbacks of little Jack sleeping like this in his crib. He woke up from his nap and I guess gave up on trying to get Nick to wake up on the couch...so he joined him. I was in our room asleep but he didn't come and try to wake me...although I think he would have ended up in this position in my bed as well. What can we say?!?! August is going to hurt when we go back to work!

After the breakfast playdate we headed to a trial Soccertots class in Plano to see how Jack liked it. He LOVED it until he saw the baseball class across the way and that is all he is talking about. For selfish reasons I was hoping that he would take soccer (more interesting for me), but I think to avoid the constant whining we'll sign him up for baseball on Saturdays as noon. A 50 minute class to wear him out...after this summer...I know it is a MUST and being indoors is too!

What better way to finish up our weekend before our New Orleans/Beach/Baton Rouge trip than a little family fun at the Allen Bowl?!?
Boy have times changed...it used to be pitchers of beer, black lights, and loud music for us at the Allen Bowl...now it is Sunday morning 99 cent games with bumpers and ramps.
Jack jumped right in without the ramp. But once he did try it and got a strike he was a fan of having a little IEP (code for special accommodations in the teacher world).
And in the end...he beat his 6 month preggers Mama who lost her steam around frame 6 compliments of a bad back, swollen fingers, and newly painful cartilage and rib complications. I can't wait to go back with his friends...so much fun.

Now we're off to end the summer with a fun, family adventure. I promise to do an update on Little Bit when we return...