Future cousin (beautifully housed by Luke's wife Stacie)

While the guys worked, the kids and I finally got our pool!

This past weekend we drove out to my brother's house to help build their new deck. Some of us were more help (Ron) most of us were less than helpful and just hung out, trying to stay out of the way. It is going to be a really big deck and the guys managed to frame it out in 2 days. No major injuries were reported. Looking forward to the first BBQ invite.

Omaha or Bust

Sadly, this past weekend, we had to return the (came to be) much beloved van. As unPC as it was we loved it. So much space! Two cars in the city! 13mpg! It was awesome!

We visited Ron's Grandmother who lives in Carter Lake, Iowa. With all the recent flooding the lake she lives on (you guessed it - Carter Lake. Those clever Iowans) was higher than it had been it years. Ron really wanted to take the kids in, reliving some childhood fun of his. Violet was game, but Jack did not want anything to do with the cold murky water. They had tons of fun and I even went in for a minute.

After the day at the lake we headed to the Omaha Zoo with Ron's cousin Laurie, her 4 year son Simon, and Ron's Mom. It was a really nice day 75 in July! At the zoo there are roving peacocks which must be pretty docile animals judging by the amount of chasing they endure. Violet crashed in the wagon covering her ears to block out the noise. A little trick she learned from her buddy AJ who has doing this on this last field trip bus we were all on together.

Sayonara van, we hardly knew ya.

Just add water

In trying to figure out a way to have a pool at home, several ideas where dismissed. They have included putting one in the kitchen (Ron rejected) and keeping one downstairs to pull out. I think that would work the best but I am concerned that there is just too much glass in our grassy area out front. As often as I go through it there always seems to be more. Putting one on the sidewalk just seems to be a recipe for skinned knees. Violet needs no help in that department - she will be lucky if the one she has heals before the end of summer. Every time it gets close, she breaks it back open and the whole healing process begins anew.

We nixed the home pool idea (for now) and just let the kids go to town we buckets of water in the kitchen. After using every towel in the house to sop up the mess - I underestimated how much fun pouring water in the floor would be for them. I think it would have been less messy to use the pool!

Oh well, An hour killed and I got to finish my book.

Time flies

Where has my baby gone? This guy is a kid!

After a long walk, some cool refreshments where in order - the kiddos really work up a sweat being pushed in their deluxe stroller! Anyway, I am posting this photo to exemplify at one point we had some sibling harmony. I think my last couple of months of easy street are coming to an end. Jack has increasingly become more physical with Violet. She, not being of the shrinking variety, meets this with equal (plus 10#) temerity. I hope this is a temporary learning period otherwise I am going to have to invest in a striped shirt and a whistle. Or some earplugs!