a fence, a frog and friends

Tonight the kids played in the backyard as we grilled our dinner.  Our neighbor Tye was playing in his backyard too, so the boys had fun talking through the fence.

Mr. Frog made a trip through the hole to visit our side of the fence.  We love having friends that live right next door!

while Ethan is away...

Austin and Lauren will play! 

 

Austin and Lauren have been having a good time playing together while their big brother is off at school. 

When I came home from dropping Ethan off at school this morning at 7:30, this is how I found the two of them watching TV on the couch.  So sweet!

And this is how Austin looked right before we rushed off to pick Ethan up from school.  I learned a valuable lesson today... If Austin is asleep when it's time to pick up Ethan, give him a whole lot of time to wake up before throwing him in the car.  Trust me, I won't make that mistake again!

fishing, fabric and fun

This weekend we headed to Eric's parents' house in Arlington to get in one last trip in before Ethan started kindergarten.  We had a great time boating, fishing, shopping, playing, eating and napping.


Lauren went on her first boat ride and fished for the first time.  She loved it! 

Austin was quite the fisherman and caught six fish.  He loved to cheer everyone on and bring the fish into the boat with the net. 

Ethan liked catching fish, but didn't like waiting for a bite.  He gets that honestly from his father.

Happy girl!

We broke our current Lake Arlington fishing record by catching 20 fish!

Even Lauren got in on the fishing fun!

No boat ride is complete without a nap!

While we were there, I also got to sneak away and hit up an amazing fabric store that had designer fabric for $4.99 a yard.  That's heaven for a fabric junkie like me!

I had fun. Lots and lots of fun.  It was a great weekend!

Ethan's first day of kindergarten!

Monday was Ethan's first day of kindergarten!  He was so excited and couldn't wait for school to start.

Proud daddy and momma!

School starts at 7:45 and we can walk Ethan into his classroom at 7:30.  Eric will take him to school most days and I'll pick him up.

Ethan's awesome teacher!

We walked out of the room as Ethan colored. I must admit I teared up a little leaving our big boy.

Mr. Cool walking out of his first day of school.

In Ethan's own words, he had a "great, great, great, great day. A FANTASTIC day!" 

a day in the life of Ethan

  

Ethan started his day off at 6:45 a.m. and had his favorite breakfast of waffles with peanut butter and syrup. 

After breakfast, the boys played inside with their train set.

 

Computer time!

The boys love playing under our oak tree.  The shade of the tree is the only way we survive the 100 degree days.  That, and frozen Go-gurts!

Then the boys put away their trains so they could play with their Legos.  Ethan loves Legos and could build things for hours.  Notice the two big, red buckets against their doors?  They are filled with the boys' action figures and the boys put them there so Lauren can't open the doors and mess up their Legos. Poor little sis!

Then we played a mean game of Uno.

More fun in the tree.

The evening turned out to be nice even though it was over 100 degrees today.  It was cloudy, so we actually got to play outside in the culdesac with friends. 

After dinner and bath, the boys went to bed at 8:15.  When I went to check on Ethan an hour later, he was fast asleep inside his pillow.  What a crazy kid!

I'm so glad I got to document one of Ethan's last days at home before he heads off to kindergarten on Monday.  It seems like just yesterday I quit my job to stay home and take care of my little baby boy.  I'm very excited for this new phase of life for him, but I'm going to miss him like crazy! 

a day in the life of Lauren

Lauren's day started off bright and early at 6:30 a.m.  Right away she wanted to play outside with her brothers.


Breakfast with a begging spectator.

Lauren loves books!  She wants to read all day long.

Snuggling with Kirby.

My mom painted a ladybug rock for Lauren and she loves it!

Lauren had fun with bubbles for the first time.  She must have blown bubbles for at least 20 minutes straight. The way she says "Bub-bull" is so cute!

Nap time!

She had a great time playing dress up with her brothers and Madison.  You may have noticed she was wearing three different pairs of shorts today.  She kept sitting in water outside and getting them soaked. 

Then it was bath time and off to bed at 7.  Poor baby ripped off her fingernail the day before, so she cried every time she accidentally bumped it.  Just wanted to keep it real with this picture since she wasn't smiles all day long!

That night I snuck in Lauren's room to take a picture of her asleep.  I had never dared to possibly wake her up before, but I decided to take the risk.  As you can see in this picture, her eyes opened the second the camera snapped.  Thankfully, she went right back to sleep.  I don't think I'll be taking anymore sleeping pictures of her anytime soon!   

a day in the life of Austin

Austin's day started off bright and early at 6:45.

Cereal and cartoons in the kitchen

A juice box break after a scooter ride.

Fun with markers

Austin's fabulous, requested lunch. 

The boys have been loving playing on the computer.  They would play on PBS and Starfall websites all day if we would let them.

We beat the heat by playing on the water slide.  Austin is a daredevil!

Austin was put in time out, but his sister and brother joined him just for fun.  Moral support I guess! 

I sure love this little sweetie!

After a full day, he fell fast asleep at 8. 

I hope you enjoyed a day in the life of Austin!