while the cat's away, the mice will play!

two weekends ago, i was helping on another rachel's vineyard retreat. while i was gone russ spent the entire weekend with the kids playing outside. he turned our backyard into somewhat of an amusement park. the kids spent a lot of time in the pool that weekend. as a result of this, russell ended up with an ear infection. but from what i hear, i think it was worth it for him.

here are some pics that russ snapped on behalf of my absence...

enjoying a treat from the ice cream truck:

(i'm so glad daddy thought about napkins...)

part of the backyard set-up:

walking the neighbor's dog:

(we're going to have to cave in soon, my kids LOVE animals!)

being innovative:

man, i missed out on some good times!

natalie's last week of school

natalie's last day of school was on May 21. it was a busy week for us, especially since i wasn't going to be home that weekend, but i really wanted to make it to her class for the last two special events.

on thursday, they had "water day". there were pools, sprinklers, a slip-n-slide, shaving cream tables, a water table a bubble station, and more-- all set up... it was like heaven for these pre-schoolers! i had the privilege of sweating my butt off while i helped with set up and clean up, but in between all of that i was able to watch these adorable kids have the time of their lives.

on friday, they had an end of the year party and birthday celebration for all of the kids whose birthdays fell in the summer. there was pizza and cupcakes, free time to do whatever they wanted, and best of all -- RUSSELL COULD COME!!! natalie was so excited about that. when i got there, her teacher told me how natalie wouldn't stop talking about her brother coming to her class. and of course, once he got there, and after they ate, they both went their separate ways. go figure!

russell gravitated straight to the kitchen area first...that is, until he spotted the cars

natalie and evelyn playing princesses in the castle

home from school:

dinner at mom and dad's

even though we go there practically once a week for dinner, each time is still special.

special for me in the sense that i don't have to cook -- and special for my mom because i know she misses cooking for her kids! lol

the truth of the matter is, it's all about the grandkids. natalie and russell just melt their hearts.
i think they have that affect on a lot of people...

the hostesses with the mostesses:

at the park with the cousins!

okay, so bear with me here... i think this might have been about two weeks ago. i swear, my memory is just HORRIBLE! (one of the reasons i started to blog was to help me remember my memories! sad, i know...)

we met up with the family at this great park, only to find that it was completely crowded with people! apparantly we weren't invited to the family reunion that was going on there... complete with hookahs on each table, and a grill going with enough food to feed a country! despite it being crowded there, the family was really nice and gave us space (my kids are all about the swings these days and there were only 4 of them!) so we managed to have a good time. got some good pictures too :)

my little stinker in time out (imagine that)

he wasn't very happy about me taking pictures of him either (hahaha)
natalie was on the hunt for some leaves and such to bring home and make a butterfly with. she found this piece of bark and claimed it as her fan:
my beautiful girl:

pictures from May

wow. i can't believe we're in the month of june already!!! may just flew right by us, with all the craziness going on! now that natalie is on summer break things have settled down and for now, i'm able to relax :)

here are some pictures from the last month:

another trip to the beach...the kids wanted to be buried in the sand again

playdate at the mall with logan and lauren:

russell helping grandpa tackle our broken icemaker. russell loves using his tools any chance he can get -- especially when he feels like he is really doing something important!

susie wins

a video of myself, natalie and susie playing the ladybug game yesterday. can you believe susie won?



i hope you all are having a fun memorial day weekend. we're looking forward to a cookout with the family at my mom and dad's house tomorrow!


lots of updates and pictures to report -- including natalie's "graduation" from pre-school! it's been a busy time of the year for us...

to be mad or NOT to be mad.

ever had someone scare the crap out of you? well, my story isn't quite so literal, but tonight russ scared the hiccups out me. i still don't know whether to be mad at him or grateful...

i get the hiccups quite frequently. and they are big, loud, embarrassing, annoying and painful. (by the way, russ never gets them). so i got them tonight and natalie was trying to help by "scaring me" (meaning she yelled out BOO! and then laughed). that didn't quite work. but as i was brushing natalie's hair in the bathroom, russ thought he'd be clever and said as serious as he could (which is not easy for him to do): "DON'T MOVE. THERE'S A SPIDER RIGHT NEXT TO YOU. if you know me, you know that all you have to do is mention the word "spider" and i'm flying 2 feet up in the air and screaming, scared out of my mind. so, that's what i did, i jumped away from the bathroom and screamed (yes, i left poor natalie there), my heart racing, thinking i would find a foot long spider on the floor staring at me with intent to kill. instead, i find russ laughing his head off, at how his silly little plan worked. (he never tricks me!) so of course, i got mad at him (or maybe just mad that i got fooled into looking like an idiot). but guess what? it worked -- my hiccups magically disappeared! um, thanks hun...

Nancy visits!

my dad's sisters, bala and nancy were here for a short visit last week. titi bala wasn't able to stay long, but titi nancy stayed for the weekend. natalie was off school on friday so we hung out with the family, and ended up going to the mall...

shoe shopping

[boys don't shop for shoes!]

treated to ice cream:

nancy, natalie & my dad

note to self, DON'T get blue ice cream. ever again.

their first ride on the train:

grandpa took them -- they were so happy

patiently waiting (for 3 hours) for grandma to finish at the salon

so good to see you nancy and bala. it's always fun when family visits! xoxo