Where has summer gone?

I keep asking myself that over and over. Well, Tyler keeps asking me over and over, which leads to me wondering the same thing. We have done so much, so it makes sense that time would fly. This summer we have made stops in Indiana, New York, Michigan, Illinois, and Texas. We have been to Ed's daughter's wedding, Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, Lincoln's Tomb, and that place where they film Hardcore Pawn to name a few. Of course, what summer would be complete without a trip to visit the rest of the family in Texas?

But now, with school starting for the boys in 2 short weeks and myself going back in 3 weeks, I find myself looking back at all the pictures and seeing what a blast this summer has been. It is so crazy to think that there will be another member of the family by next summer to accompany us on our trips. Although, I'm sure Logan and Tyler have yet to realize that the space they use to store video games, candy, and sodas will now be storing their little sister. I'll save that information for a later date.

Here are some pictures from our summer adventures.

Snow Day!

We had quite a wallop of snow last week. I had never seen so much fall at one time since we moved to Colorado. It seems that we were always out of state when the big ones fell. The boys had a blast building forts and playing outside. They are looking forward to the next big one!

Falcon Middle School Semester Honor Roll

Congratulations to Logan for making the first semester Honor Roll at the middle school. This is no easy feat! We are so proud of you!

Happy Birthday, Greg!

Every year, we try to mark Greg's birthday in a special way. We typically have the boys make cards and attach them to balloons to send off to Heaven. The weather last year was not good for the balloons, so this was our first go at it again. The boys' cards are always heartfelt and sad. You can tell how much they miss their dad and how much they love him. I'm glad we do this each year, and I'm glad that Ed takes a role in it, as well.

Happy Birthday, Greg. We love you and miss you every day.

Splash!

My friends Laura had been telling me about this place she goes and paints at. You all paint the same picture, with instruction. I always thought her pictures looked great, and she looked like she had so much fun. So, last Thursday (on a school night...can you believe it???) Laura, Shari, and I decided to make it a night out. We had so much fun! While I'm not planning on quitting my day job or opening a gallery anytime soon, I think I did pretty good for my first time. It was so relaxing, and it was fun to do something outside of the school with friends. I can't wait until we do it again!


Laura and Shari


Shari and Lori

Laura preparing her palette

The rest of our "class". One lady was pretty toasted by the end. A little too much wine, I think. See the girl in the middle. I know her from somewhere, I just can't place her. It's actually driving me crazy.

Our instructor fella. He's a middle school teacher...somewhere. I can't remember. He started by telling us the story "The Dot". (There's the mystery girl again...where do I know her from?!?)

Progression of my painting...

Final Product!

Shari and her masterpiece

Laura and her work of art

Me and my painting...it is now proudly displayed on my bedroom wall. There was a candle thing on the wall I didn't really like, so the painting took its place. And it conveniently matches the chairs in our bedroom. Ed said he loved it. I offered to hang it in Tyler's room, but he insisted that he was saving that space for a Falcons "thing" he had "somewhere."

Fun at the Pool

There's nothing more fun than going for a swim...in January...in Colorado...right??? According to Logan and Tyler, this is their favorite activity! The boys love going to Villa to go swimming at the indoor Villa Splash. I'll admit...it is really cool. The water is warm, and there are fun slides and sprays. Tyler was so exicted because he was finally tall enough to slide down the big waterslide. There was a slight problem, though. He was tall enough for the slide, but he was not tall enough to "survive" the slide pool. I kept going over height issues versus depth of water with him, but he argued that he could do it. I made Logan wait after he came down because I anticipated a pseudo-drowning of his little brother. Good thing I did. Tyler got swept by the current into the middle of the splash area and immediately panicked and started to sink. Logan-who was plenty tall enough-swept in an "saved" his little brother, who was of course in the middle of a panic attack. Crisis averted. Oh-and Tyler agreed to swim lessons.


Doesn't look like a kid who was too sad about not going back down the water slide, does it?

They found other ways to have fun together.

They love this place so much!

2012-Week 2

So my attempts to take a picture every day are not going very good. However, I was getting better at using my cell phone to do it. Except that I could've sworn that I transferred all the pictures into a folder on my Picasa, but they're GONE!!! Oh well...something is better than nothing I suppose. Here's what we did on a couple...ehhh...one day.



The newest member of the family-George Patton Jr. He likes to eat, I mean, play too rough with Lexi, so he's not at the top of my favorite pet list.

There's my princess! Not Tyler, but my sweet Lexi! TYler's pretty cute, too!

Logan-always the silly man

Playing Apples to Apples Junior with the kids-Tyler thought every word he played was the most hilarious word in the world.

The ladies of the house

And the boys...minus the little princess, of course.

Logan made the Honor Roll! And apparently it was the second time this year. He said he "didn't think" to tell us. I really thing I wouldn't have these issues if he was a girl.