Adventureland!

Cate, Ben, Maggie and I met my parents at Adventureland on Tuesday. 

The kids loved every minute of the trip. We all went in the Log Ride, which is probably my favorite ride in the park. Cate and Ben went on the Tornado with Grandpa Doug. 

Mom went on the Scrambler with Cate.  Maggie felt sick almost immediately and Mom was not far behind. 

We ended the day with the Raging River. Maggie was so wet she has to strip down to her undies for the ride home. 

The Lemonade Obsession Begins

Delicious!

Proof that Cece was at the lemonade stand.

If the bosses (Cate and Ben) won't let you sample the inventory, you have to get creative.

Claire at the lemonade stand.

The Crew

Ben working on advertising.  (He dislikes writing so I'm always excited when I see him voluntarily writing something).

Cate:  I'm writing napkins with our logo.

Hoping that more signage will attract more customers.

And yes, they did realize that the arrow was pointing away(!) from their stand.

My kids obsession with lemonade stands began with a spur of the moment stand at their cousins' house.  Although they only made around $1.00 each, they were excited about each step of the process. 

The kids' disappointment whenever a car drove by without stopping was immense.  I told Chris on the way home that our resolution from this point forward should be to always, always stop by any lemonade stand we see. 

And tip the workers.

Another Bookworm...

More Summer Fun

Last week my parents brought my grandma to visit for the day.  They were hoping to watch Ben play baseball but the game was rained out at the last minute.

We had a great afternoon reading books, making crafts and playing games.

All Done!

Cece is growing increasingly verbal.

And clearly she means what she says.

I was changing out the laundry when I heard her call "All done!" to me from the kitchen.  When I came back in, the bag was empty.  "All done," she said as she handed me the empty bag.

Ben Has Left the Building

 

The is the scene that greets me immediately after hearing Ben shout, "I'm going to Emmett's!"

The door is ajar and the baskets are askew...someday I'll miss this mess, right?

Signs of Summer

The summer is flying by!  We are keeping busy and my plans of getting a jump on the fall semester have fallen by the wayside.  Oh well, there's always July. 

 

Cate and Ben attended the UI Wildlife Camp this summer and LOVED every minute of it.

Our summer babysitter, Liz, took Maggie and Cece to Petland.  They both love animals, especially puppies.

We've spent hours playing outside---at the pool, at parks, at friend's houses---Cece always wants to be where the big kids are.

And, of course, the pool is our home away from home all summer long.  Thanks to zero-depth entry in the shallow end and Cate and Ben's good swimming skills, it's (relatively) easy to have all four kids there by myself.

Baby's First Temper Tantrum

Sweet girl. 

About the only thing that can make her this angry is to not be able to do something the big kids are doing.

I wish I found all of my children's bad behavior so entertaining.

Fish!

The kids are plotting to add a fish to our household. 

Chris and I are not very excited about being responsible for another life...particularly since when asked to feed the dog everyone responds with, "But I did it LAST time!."

Despite our doubts that the fish will survive the summer we've tentatively given our approval.

The preparations have been a delight to observe.  All three big kids agreed to pool their money and it was a good exercise for them to collect, sort and count the total ($23.80).  Then there has been the research---what to get, how much it will cost, the habitat---and then determining if they have enough money left over to afford the fish food. 

(For the record, Maggie was holding out for a dolphin until Cate and Ben pointed out that a dolphin might not fit in our bathtub).

We've agreed that the fish cannot be purchased until after we get back from vacation but the planning is keeping us all entertained for now.

Wedding Bells

Megan, our beloved nanny, got married last Saturday. 

It was a beautiful day and a beautiful wedding for a truly beautiful person.  We are so lucky to have Megan (and now Trent) in our lives.

My kids loved the wedding and were sad that we made them leave the dance early so that Cece could go to bed.  Maggie requested the Frozen soundtrack, singing along to all of the songs, while Ben requested "Gangham Style" and danced with the college crowd.  Cate befriended one of the flower girls and they worked on perfecting their cartwheels on the dance floor. 

Even though we were home by 9 we certainly left our mark on the festivities.

Ben does not really like to write so it always touches my heart when he does so without being prompted.  Here he is writing "Good Luck" to Megan and Trent.  (Note:  He also willingly changed out of Under Armor for the event).

Taking advantage of the Kids Corner

While waiting for dinner Cece discovers a new love for lemonade.

Mags and Megan

Cece and Megan

Glasses!

This post is about two months too late but Cate got glasses this spring. 

We think she looks very grown up!

Finally! Enough Hair for a Pony!

Girls Day Out!

 

The big kids were at camp and Cece was napping with the babysitter so Mags and I hit the pool.

 

It was nice to spend some one-on-one time with Maggie, which probably hasn't happened since Cece was born!

Rides at City Park

One Picture from Poland

Maggie sent her beloved popsicle stick puppet, Elsa, to Europe with me. 

You can easily tell it's Elsa by her long, flowing side ponytail.  It's actually been great to have her along.  I've taken pictures of Elsa at every site I've visited along the way and sent them back to the kids via e-mail.  (Again, technology is amazing...)

This is a picture of me, Elsa and Uncle Tim taken outside Bombay Masala in Warsaw last week.

Where's Cece?

Genius--a Cece-sized hiding spot that no one else can (easily) fit into!