what was i thinking?

glitter + glue = what was i thinking?

we thought it was a good idea at the time.

the kids collected a whole bunch of pine cones from the yard and the idea of glitter AND glue was sounding fun!

   

a few pictures…a few minutes in….looking good!

but i only had one bottle of glue…and the bickering started.

5 minutes into this creative mess they had given up….and i found myself alone….which really isn’t a bad thing…except glitter and glue were everywhere!

and my kids had moved into another room…..making a fort! do you realize how fast they can turn a room upside down…to make a fort?!

the dock

after weeks of swimming lessons at the lake

Caroline has been working hard

to do one thing

swim to the dock.

she was so excited

her instructor swam beside her and talked to her the whole way

here she is on the dock…she couldn’t stop waving and smiling!!

they spent a few minutes jumping off and a lesson on how to dive in.

      

Cooper cried of course….having a hard time understanding why caroline gets to swim to the dock and he can’t….its hard being the youngest.

 

i have to tell you…watching her swim out there was the longest 5 minutes…and i think it was the suntan lotion in my eyes…but there were a few happy tears on my part….so proud.

i will never get enough of this proud feeling….and i love seeing her proud of herself….so cool!

right after her swim…she gets a hug from her best swimming buddy.

 

Cooper turns 4!!

i am about 2 weeks late on my posts…the summer has gotten away from me!

we celebrated Cooper’s 4th Birthday with an ice cream party at our favorite ice cream shop.

Cooper’s Uncle created his cake…..Curious George on a digger! his two favorite things!

  one excited little boy!!! 

we made rice krispie treats as part of the goodie bag….we wrapped them up in Curious George treat bags…they looked really cute…and super easy to make….you’ll just have to take my word for it….it got too crazy around here to take pictures!

here is cooper on his new scooter…..couldn’t wait to try it…notice the girls chasing after him to open another present….he wasn’t having it….boy+scooter=happy

a hike and a lesson

a whole day ahead of us….not one thing on the calendar planned.

we decided on an impromptu adventure to

Bash Bish Falls!

the kids were excited

we packed a picnic and a backpack full of “hiking stuff”

like bug spray, colored pencils and chips.

after getting lost in the car and finding ourselves in NY state we finally made it to the trail….phew!

we headed out on the trail and checked out the stream

we were feeling great!

coop was excited to finally wear the hiking boots that were passed down from his cousins…….only to have them hurt 10 minutes into the hike.

so we took our first break while Rob walked back to the car to get his other shoes…..that is where the colored pencils and chips came in handy.

the hike to the falls was less a mile….we thought this would be a breeze.

but even after a change of shoes Cooper decided he wasn’t going to walk…not. one. more. step.

Rob is checking his GPS to note that we had hiked about one tenth of a mile……oh boy….this was not looking good.

so i did what any mother would do……i picked him right up…and carried him….up hill….to our next rest stop.

Caroline went back to drawing.

  

after cooper rested his little legs…..i hiked with Caroline a bit while Rob hiked at a snails pace with Coop.

and so it went……not the hike we planned at all

it might have taken all of our patience

but we made it……together….

and the day was great.

the kids had fun climbing the big boulders, finding treasures like acorns and smooth pebbles and they loved the  feel of the cool water on their feet.

i know the kids will remember eating chips, climbing the rocks, and the beautiful waterfall……i will remember the beautiful summer day we spent together as a family….how we helped each other along the way and how great it felt when we reached the falls.

i will remember that the hike reminded me that even though life is full of hills and boulders…and little ones who don’t want to walk….its the journey and what you make of it.

today i wish my wonderful hubby a Happy 10th Anniversary!!!!

best present for a 4 year old!

now that cooper is 4

he is shaving!

he shaves every morning!

and smells like berry berry

spider man shaving kit with berry berry foam was a hit!

walk the plank!

Caroline spent last week at art camp…cool building right?!

 

and the theme was pirates!!!!

on Friday they invited us to their art show!!!!

their art work was hung on the wall…they drew pirates and parrots, the ship’s monkey, spy glass views and pirate ships.

they made treasure maps,spy glasses, a compass, treasure boxes full of loot,  pirate hats and an eye patch of course!!

she was so proud of all her art…..and can’t wait for next year’s camp!

guest bedroom make over

how about a before and after……
i have to say,
we had company coming!
which meant we needed to make our 4th bedroom ready!!!
it was a disaster!!!
when we had all the construction/renovations done on the house last year we decided to replace the old windows in this room which meant they had to cut open this wall…and they left a large beam exposed, cut in half…i think i took a picture but can’t find it
anyways…….this is a picture halfway through Rob’s redo…company is coming in one week!!!
I was busy sewing curtains, pillows and a bench cushion.

a couple late nights later……..
the after!

now its already for guests!

Blink

how does 4 years go by so fast!

no matter how much i try to slow down the days…i am in awe at how fast the years go.

today we celebrate Cooper’s 4th Birthday…and it is bitter sweet for me.

knowing that he will be our last….i have tried to treasure every moment….

but i miss those baby days

here he is 6 days old.

  

2 months old….so wide eyed and smiley, such a good baby.

i look at these pictures and feel like i blinked and the years went by…..so not fair.

 

Cooper….you are such an amazing big boy!!! you are “super duper smart” (he uses those words to describe everything these days) writing your letters and making beautiful pictures! so kind and thoughtful.  When Lulu gets hurt you race to find her giraffe to make sure she is ok…..and her name was the 2nd word you learned how to write after your own. You are learning to ride your bike,play golf and swim this summer…so exciting to see this happen!!!  I hope you have a wonderful, super, duper day my favorite boy!!!!!