Our Beloved Auntie Jen...

We have been back from our visit with teh Boettchers for over a week and the kids keep asking when can we go back?  They love their Auntie Jen, Paige, Chase and Uncle Chris.  It is always fun to get the kids together to play to see how the dynamics between them change as they get older.  They all played so well together! 

Here are some of the fun things we did on this trip...

The shoe bandit at it again!

Ava loves Jo Jo

Enjoying the Pool!

 Getting cozy on the couch for some downtime.

 Roasting very large campfire marshmallows on the fire and making smores.  The mallows were so big that Luke was upset he couldn't taste the chocolate hershey bar!

 The kids took the rocketship to every planet on the solar system!

 They loved playing on the trampoline without letting theball touch them.  Ava was a little stressed out by this game but she was a trooper.



Berry Picking

Luke is really into picking berries even though he will not eat them.  He will taste the juice but that is it.  We have been picking the blackberries up at his school.  There are tons of them and they are free and delicious!!!

Just a week and a half ago when we were up in Milwaukee... Jen, Nana Betty and I went raspberry picking.  We would of brought the kids but there were a lot of bees there.  We had so much fun!

Ava's First Day of Preschool

Ava did great today at her first day of preschool. Before we left she said she did not want to go but once we got there and I reassured her that I would be back soon and that Luke was in the next classroom she did great.  She hugged both of her teachers when she left.

Here she is with her buddy Addee (Izzy's sister.)

4 Generations

I have a ton of photos to post from our wonderful trip in Milwaukee.  We were so lucky that we got to see Great Nana Betty.  She had so much fun with the kids!

Luke's First Day of Pre-K

Today was Luke's first day of school.  He was excited to get back to school to see all of his friends, especially Izzy <3  He is in school 4 days a week for 2 1/2 hours.  I can't believe we will be sending him off to kindergarten next year at this time.

Health Update!

Well I just got some good news tonight from the biopsies that were done last week in my endoscopy.   They just show gastritis and GERD, nothing else.  So, I am just being treated with an increased amount of stomach acid reducers and probiotics.  I have started to eat more normal foods again, even things they said I was allergic to initially and all is going well. My stomach is feeling better :)

14 months old

I can't believe she is already 14 months old tomorrow. She still seems like such a baby to me.  Maybe that is because she is the baby of the family or because she is in no hurry to grow up fast.  Fine by me ;)

Summer Fun

I have had so much fun with the kids this summer.  Just waking up and seeing where the day takes us. No plans most of the time, just living a whimsical life.  I am going to be so sad when Luke and Ava go to school in 2 short weeks.  The good news is that Sydney and will have some precious 1x1 time.  What will I do when the day comes that I send all 3 kiddos school??  I guess I need to cherish this time with them as much as possible!  It has been a great summer and I have been feeling great lately... more like myself :)

Thank you Nana Lass for photographing these wonderful moments I shared with the kiddos while you were here!

Baby is pulling up!

We have been waiting for months and it is now happening numerous times per day.... Baby is pulling up on just about everything and we are so proud of her.

The Newest member of the Lass family...

No, I am not pregnant again! Luke and Ava picked out their very own fish at the pet store yesterday. Nana Lass named him Finn. The kids love him! Luke even insisted that he come upstairs with him to our room(along with him) in the middle of the night.

Ballerina Videos

Ava the Ballerina

Ava started Ballet, Tap and Gymnastics. She absolutely loves it.  It last a whole hour and she does it by herself, without Mommy.  I am amazed it holds her attention for the whole hour.  During the week, outside of class she practices her ballerina turns. 

The best big brother in the world

Our new favorite beach (Golden Gardens)

Since it has been nice out the past few weeks we have been meeting Jamie and Grant at our new favorite beach.  The kids play for hours when we are there, they just love it.  Nana joined us this week :) 

Allergist Appt finally!!!

Friday is my allergist appointment.  I am hoping to get some answers with all of my ongoing stomach issues.  I am just so sick of all of this and I hope my poor children don't inherit this junk.  My ulcer (or so that is what I call it) has gotten worse this week so I finally made an appt to go see a specialist.  I am ready for all of this to be behind me.

The bed is official...

She has been sleeping in her new bed for a couple nights now and has been doing GREAT!  I really could not be happier with the adjustment.  She does not even ask for binky anymore and she stays in her bed ALL NIGHT, without a problem.  All I can say is that I cherish my sleep right now because Sydney has been sleeping 12 hours as well, even with her molars coming in. 

Funny way of saying it...

I let the kids watch a couple episodes of the smurfs the other night... it is the same "Smurfs" I used to watch when I was a kid... back in the 80's.  Luke loved it, he kept asking for more.   The next day he was scared to death of PJ (our cat.)  He kept asking me to let him outside and would scream when he was in the room, like he saw a ghost.  This has been going on now for 5 days.  Yesterday, he told me he wanted PJ to go to heaven, which is a nice way of saying he wants PJ to die.  I have got to believe he is saying this because the cat in the Smurf's that is paired with Gargemel, named Azrael, scared the bejesus out of him.  Hopefully this is just a phase that he will grow out of, but at least he is saying it politely :)