Summertime, Summertime!

The boys and I have had a great summer so far! We have been having so much fun that I have not even had time to blog! I can't believe the summer is almost over and school starts in a few weeks! Time flies when you are having fun!

We have spent A LOT of time at our neighborhood pool this summer. We are so blessed to have a pool, playground and mini golf course just around the corner from our house!

Christian jumping in!

Christian has made leaps and bounds over the summer when it comes to his comfort level in the water and his swimming skills. I have been taking him on his own in the evenings after dinner. We have worked on swimming under water, using goggles, jumping into the deep end, floating and using the proper form when swimming above water. All that work has REALLY paid off! Christian started Level II swim lessons this week and he is right where he needs to be. Last year, he was even afraid to put his face in the water. ;) Now he is learning to swim in the deep end and go after dive rings at the bottom of the pool. Amazing! He has great confidence in the water now! It is so fun to watch him jump in over and over again! And to see him swim a lap across the pool makes me so proud! Love that boy!

Christian with his swim lesson teacher, Miss Donna. She is AWESOME! She does great with kiddos!

At the end of each class, she lets the kids get on a big mat and she shakes them around like they are in a big storm in the ocean! Christian LOVED it!

Christian swimming across the pool the first day of swim lessons. :)

We have spent some time in the kiddie pool too! Andrew loves to splash and play! Andrew, however, has no fear of the water and wants to jump in the big pool head first! haha! Luckily, next summer he will be three years old and can start his own swim lessons. ;)

Earlier this summer, we took the boys to see Cars 2.
It was Andrew's first movie at the theater. He did great! Both boys liked it and we stayed for the whole thing! The neat thing is, we took Christian to his first movie when he was 2 years old and it was Cars.

Here is a picture of me holding Christian outside the same Bella Vista theater back in
August 2006...

Seems like just yesterday.

Jim and Christian have played golf together this summer. They also like to go to the driving range after church and lunch on Sundays. It is part of their weekend routine until this horrible heat wave came along and it is too hot to go in the afternoons. Hopefully, when the temps go down, they can get back into their driving range routine. Jim says Christian hits the ball very well! I love to see them get to have "guy time" together. ;)

Christian also got to spend some special time with Pops and GoGo this summer.
Pops took Christian to see the big steam train roll through Van Buren!

Pops and Christian watching it pull up to the depot!



Pops and GoGo even took Christian out on the boat on Beaver Lake...

Christian giving Pops the "thumbs up" to go faster!

We have also had weekly playdates with my Mom's Ministry group, lunch dates with friends and lots of birthday parties over the summer...

Christian and his friend Brianna from church. We checked out the new Mellow Mushroom pizza place when it opened! Good stuff!

The boys loved the tree house and slide at the Griffiths house!

Splash time at the Bentonville Splash Park!

Fun with Natalie, Tricia and Kari!

Lunch with little Miss Diva, Ruby! :)

Hanging out with my MM ladies at Laura and Jann's neighborhood pool!

Christian roasting hot dogs at his friend Ava's birthday party!

The boys playing in Ruby's bedroom with the Young girls for Brandon's 35th birthday party!

Happy Birthday Brandon!

I was only able to work six Wednesdays this summer while the boys were at summer Mother's Day Out! I enjoyed being on the trade desk and the boys had a great time too! Andrew's little class enjoy splash days playing in the sprinkler. Christian's school aged group went on field trips to Fayetteville Air Museum, Fast Lanes, Roller City, Bentonville pool and a Naturals baseball game! How fun!

While Andrew was at MDO on his own, Christian and I had what we call "Mom and Christian fun days" doing things we can't do with Andrew like ride go carts at Fast Lanes, swimming in the deep end, race car games at Chuck E Cheese, school clothes shopping, and eating tacos! And a few trips to the Great American Cookie Co. for an afternoon snack. ;)



Andrew having fun by the pool!

Christian enjoying a snack poolside! And yes, he definitely needs a haircut. ;)
That's just one more thing we have to fit in next week along with school supply shopping!
We leave for another trip to Texas soon too! Well, better make the most of our last days of summer! I hope to post again soon!

Room Renew continued!

When I did my earlier post about redoing the boys rooms, I can't believe I left out a picture of one of my favorite things in Andrew's room.

When his room was decorated in my nursery decor of moons and stars, I had the board below hanging on the wall...

I wanted to come up with another saying that would go with his new room. So what's better for Curious George than..."He is a good little monkey and always very curious" which SO describes Andrew. So I painted the board above in his green wall color (I just got a sample size for $2 and it cover the whole board). Then I took it to a friend of mine from church that owns a little paint your own pottery place, Imagine Studios, and had her paint the words for me.
Here is how it turned out...

Isn't it so cute! She even painted a Curious George on it! Thanks so much to Melanie Hewins for painting it for me!

Room Renew!

A big project that I took on this summer was redecorating Christian and Andrew's rooms.

A fresh coat of light blue paint for Christian's room....

We also rearranged the furniture after taking his toy box out and moving it downstairs. It made his room look and feel a lot bigger. He calls his room "police officer blue".

We also put together a bookcase for his room. Christian calls it his library. Before, he had all his books in various baskets around his room and it was a bit cluttered. I also found a solar system poster for over his bed since he loves science and space. He goes on and on about how much he loves his new room. He says, "Mom, it is so new it is like a hotel room!"
He asked if he could add a key card slider access box to his door. ;)
Too funny!

In the corner, I put a floor pillow for his "reading nook" and found a History of Police officers poster that he really likes. We also hung new dark blue curtains on his windows. They are light blocking which is nice since his room gets all the morning sun. But he still wakes up at 6:15am. Go figure.

When Andrew started to put his leg over the side on his crib, we knew it was time for a toddler bed. Jim and Christian did a great job putting it together!

I must say it was really hard watching Jim take apart the crib that both my baby boys slept in.
But it was exciting to see Andrew's face when he saw his new bed!

He LOVES his toddler bed! He has slept so well in it since day one. We are so blessed!
Andrew also LOVES Curious George. When I was looking for toddler bedding that would already go with the colors on the walls, I found the perfect quilt! I also bought Curious George sheets. He loves them! He points at all the monkeys on his sheets and says "George! George!".

I moved Christian old red curtains into Andrew's room and they went perfect with his new bedding and Curious George decor.

I found this Curious George alphabet poster online and put it in a white frame from Hobby Lobby. I love it! Andrew loves to point and say the letters.

Where my old baby quilt used to hang, I ordered a Curious George sham and had his name put on it. Them I sewed red gingham ribbon loops onto it and made it a wall hanging. Pretty crafty, huh?!

The boys just love their new rooms as much as I do!

Elizabeth is home!

Thanks to everyone for all the thoughts, prayers, phone calls and emails. Elizabeth has had a great recovery and went home on Tuesday! Can't wait to head back to Texas to get to hold our little niece Elizabeth!

Christian's 7th birthday!

Seven sounds so big to me. I can't believe my first born is seven years old. I can't believe that it was seven years ago I became a mom. Seems like yesterday. Where does the time go? (sniff sniff)

July 8th Christian woke up to a surprise breakfast of strawberry muffins (his favorite) and we sang Happy Birthday. Check out that "bed head".


Christian wanted to go to Van Buren for his birthday celebration and had a few requests on his list....off roading, chicken legs for lunch, police stuff for presents and go swimming. With the help of our amazing family, he got all his birthday wishes to come true!

Christian with his gifts from Mom, Dad and Andrew. :) Even though we weren't having his party until Saturday, I let him pick out one gift to open on his birthday.

Andrew was standing by to see the surprise...

I love this look of surprise when he got a gift sack full of police cars!

NYPD police car set. 'Cause that's how I roll. ;)

Friday night, we met up with some of my friends Beth and Dawn with her kiddos at Pizza Parlour in Van Buren. A place that brings back lots of fun memories...and good pizza. ;)

Kinley and Andrew "dining" together!

Presley and Christian (I think Christian is giving Beth a hard time in this pic)
I wish I had got one of Dawn, Beth and I but we were too busy talking and taking care of the kiddos!

Saturday morning, Christian got to go "off roading". Pops took us all out in the Trailblazer to some family property where Uncle Will built a cabin for hunting. Christian loved going through the rough gravel and dirt roads to get there. Andrew had fun too!

Pops and Christian

Christian on the porch of Uncle Will's cabin in the woods

Jim admiring all the rustic touches that Will added to the cabin. We loved it!

The boys making themselves at home in the cabin. This couch used to be Jim's parents when he was growing up. It got passed down to us when we were first married and now Will made a home for it in his cabin. Glad to see it has survived! haha!

Andrew checking out the ladder to the loft where the sleeping area is located.
Christian thought the cabin was awesome and could not wait to spend the night out there with his Uncle Will.

Time to head back for the birthday party!

Time for the big reveal of the big present Jim and I got for Christian...

His own police car! He wants to be a police officer when he grows up! Of course, that changes from wanting to be an ice road trucker or storm chaser but at the top of the list is a policeman. :)


It has two seats so Andrew can ride too! With a 150 lbs weight limit, I could even drive it! These boys will have fun with this car for a long time! Christian LOVED it!

It even has its own sirens and loud speaker. He spent the rest of the morning writing us all tickets and patroling the driveway. :)

Ready for opening presents!

Andrew was excited to help his big brother with his gifts! He kept saying "WOW! WOW!"

Christian was so excited to get his Lego police station from Pops and GoGo!

And Lego firetruck from Uncle John! (Andrew shouting "WOW"!)

So happy to get "cash" from Aunt Kimberly and Uncle Wrenn!

A big bag of fireworks from Uncle Will!

And a few other surprises too!

Time for cake!

I designed this cake myself! I got a couple Hot Wheels police cars, badge, and toy handcuffs to make a "police" cake that Christian wanted! He loved it!


Grandmother and Andrew enjoying their cake together!

Playtime!

Time for a swim!

Getting kisses from my sweet boy!

Christian loves to jump in the pool!

Andrew taking a water break

That night, we went to dinner at Cracker Barrel, Christian's choice. He says he loves "country cooking restaurants". That's my boy. ;)

Later that night, Jim and Christian let off all the fireworks that Uncle Will gave him. This picture cracks me up of them looking down at a little flame that I think was a snake. Christian's favorites were the small fountains and giant sparklers.

When we got home on Sunday, Christian could not wait to get started on his Lego kits!
Thank you to all of our wonderful family for making his birthday celebration so special!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTIAN!