Kicking Off Summer

School has now been out for 4 days, and I feel like we have already had a Summer's worth of fun.  Here are a few of the things we have been doing...

Tanner left today for Cub Scout Day Camp... please feel free to comment and tell me what a wonderful mother I am that I sewed on all of the badges on his shirt (after I tried gluing them on and it didn't hold of course).  I think I have earned a merit badge in patch stitching.  Tanner has also been working towards his Wolf award and after his experiences at day camp today, he should have it and with a month to spare before his birthday... phew!

Ashlyn has been working on about a craft a minute.  She is definitely my arts and crafts girl and can often be found with a pen, pencil, crayon, or marker in her hands.  She also started softball this week and is loving it.  But she absolutely can't wait until swimming lessons start in August.

Ian is also all about the arts and crafts.  He made this hedgehog entirely by himself.  He also started tee ball this week and thinks playing sports of any kind is his idea of Heaven.

Charlotte is happy, happy, happy that the kids are out of school and home to play with her all day!

She recently had a day with mom at the beauty parlor and got her hair bobbed off for the summer (not pictured).  She loves being wherever and doing whatever the kids are doing.

This series of pictures comes from whenever I take a picture of anyone, Charlotte is jumping up and down saying, "Me too, take a picture of Me too!"

Bronson has recently turned into a toddler.  He was born to walk and run and there is nothing he can't get into.  His favorite place is to sneak into the pantry looking for snacks.

Poor little Buster spent the last two miserable weeks growing molars.  It was a very painful business and caused 4 days of high fevers and misery until those teeth finally broke through a couple of days ago and this baby is now a different person!

Buster spends most of his day following me around the house with his blankie (pictured) and his favorite book (the truck book pictured).  We have to read the book precisely 200 times a day and it never gets old ;)

Bronson is starting to figure out how to speak in English and now has to say "Hi!" loudly and multiple times to everyone he sees.  He is also proficient at: Bye, Daddy, Tanner, Ian, Book, Ball, Milk, and of course Mommy.  He melted my heart the other day when he did the sign language for please when he wanted more milk.  I have been trying to get him to do that forever.  I have never taken the time to learn all of the sign language to teach my babies, but I have been trying to teach him "Please" and "Thank You" which makes me feel so much better when he is hollering at me for something.

Zac keeps plugging along with projects on the house and just last Saturday whipped up this deck which took him pretty much just one day to build.  He was so accurate on estimating how much material he would need, he had barely a block of scrap leftover.  He is so amazing.  If you don't have a Zac, I would highly recommend getting one... not mine though you have to get your own.

If I was more awesome, I would have swept off the sand before I took the pictures... instead I would rather sit in here and blog about it.  Next up, we need to put a few pieces of siding on the back now that the deck is on.

And what have I accomplished this Summer?

Well let me tell you, I am the current house dart champion.  At least once a month (or so) Zac and I have a dart tournament, dating back to when we were first married almost 12 years ago.  We love to play Cricket... a very fun game you should all learn to play.

After the best of three games the other night...

I was once again crowned #1 Dart Champion

And got to sign my name on the back of the trophy... again.

I like it when Zac comes home at nights and doesn't have to build the house.  This summer is going to rock!