Doing Dayton.

At the end of June, we met my parents in Dayton for a whirlwind weekend-o-fun. Friday night was spent swimming in the hotel pool, of course. On Saturday morning, Will and I ran the Dayton Donut Dash, a 5k where you eat donuts at Mile 1 and 2. For every donut you eat, you get 2 minutes taken off your time. It didn't seem like it would be a big deal, but wow, it's hard to choke them down when your mouth is sticky from running. They even offered chocolate milk, the sight of which made us want to gag.

We spent the rest of the day at the Dayton International Air Show. It was amazing! There were planes and vehicles parked everywhere for the kids to explore, and the show itself was like nothing I've ever seen. The highlights, of course, were the Navy Blue Angels at the end.

Thanks, Mom & Dad, for meeting us! We had a great time!

Washington, D.C.

We visited Washington, D.C. with Will's parents last week. Overall, it was a wonderful vacation, especially as the kids slept a little better than they have in the past. We stopped and picked Will's parents up on the way. They were a huge help, and the kids had a blast with them.

(By the way, it was hot. Every time we have gone somewhere over the summer in the last 4 years, there have been record high temperatures. Every. Single. Time.)

On the way into D.C., we stopped to meet my college friends Meghan & Nick at the Air & Space Museum. How did we not get any pictures together? I don't know. They had us over for dessert afterwards and the kids played outside. It was so good to see them and their twin boys again!

The next day, we visited the National Zoo. It was hot. Will's parents got stuck on stroller duty most of the time, but they didn't complain. We happened to see the pandas right at feeding time.

On Monday, we went for a hike in the morning at a nearby National Park. The way the kids complained, you would have thought we were asking them to hike the Appalachian Trail. Meanwhile, Gabriella participated in Dress Like a Diva Day.

On our last full day, we headed to the National Mall. At first, the kids thought we were going shopping. They were a little hot and tired by the time we got to the Museum of Natural History, and they didn't try to hide it.

Petting a digital T. Rex was fun, though.

Mostly, the kids just wanted to swim in the hotel pool. Will commented that we probably could have saved a lot of money by buying a pool membership instead. Oh well, we still had fun. :)

A Pictorial Update

Lots of stuff going on this summer... Here's an update in pictures.

The kids practiced their Ninja moves while camping in the backyard. The sleeping part started out okay, until Graham started fiercely whisper-yelling at Gabriella at 4am for sucking on her tongue too loudly.

Pajama Ninja moves in the family room.

The kids still fit at the picnic table for at least one more summer.

 Chase and Gabriella decided to build a tree house in the apple tree.

I was too cheap to buy a real water table, so we made these out of storage containers. Keeps them occupied for hours at a time.

The garden is going strong, and some of the strawberries were particularly big this year. Chase loves them.

We are trying to make the transition to no afternoon naps. (This is where I choke back sobs.) Gabriella was so grumpy one day that I sent her to her room to calm down. She never made it.

Hope you all are enjoying your summer as well!

Preschool Graduation

Gabriella graduated from preschool a few weeks ago. We were so proud of her! (It's a little funny, considering she's going back to preschool next year.)

Our school district suddenly switched to all-day kindergarten, so the boys will be in school all day next year. We girls will have lots of time to play, I guess.

Tigers

We had some leftover face paint from a picnic, so the kids all wanted to be tigers. (I guess our yard does resemble a jungle lately.)

Soccer Season

April and May are filled with soccer practices and games around here. The boys are enjoying their seasons, and it has been fun watching them play.

Graham runs all over the field. When he learns to pass, he may be less tired.

Chase loves the social aspect. He can frequently be seen playing Ring-Around-the-Rosie or Duck-Duck-Goose on the sidelines. He also likes the snack at the end of the game.

Tech-Savvy Savior.

The kids and I are making icing yesterday when I mention that we are going to Skype with Grandma that evening. Out of nowhere, Gabriella asks if we can Skype with Jesus.

Slightly taken aback, I launch into an explanation about how Jesus is in heaven, but we can pray to him, etc. etc. She looks at me quizzically and I can tell that she is wondering why anyone would pray when the obvious choice would be to dial him up for a little face-to-face chitchat.

I hear the garage door. "Why don't you ask Daddy?" I say.

Will walks in. "Why can't we Skype with Jesus?" Gabriella asks.

"Because He doesn't have a Skype account." Will answers.

"Okay." And she walks away, fully satisfied with that explanation.