We Found Montana!

My entire life as a parent, I have prided myself in never losing a piece to a toy.  Sure, I've conveniently "forgotten" a toy somewhere, but, every night when we clean up, each toy has all its pieces and gets put in it's place.  

However, somehow, amidst 3 moves in one year, we misplaced Montana.  So, for the last long while, the girls (mostly Sadie), have been putting together the 49 state puzzle.  Don't know how we've managed to keep track of Rhode Island and New Jersey, but lose Montana.  But, anyway, we did.  

Then, this morning, while putting together a Cars puzzle, Sadie exclaimed, "Look!  Mom!  I found it!"  And, right there, in the box, was Montana!

Now, I don't have to explain to Carson why Montana is no longer part of the United States!

Never a Dull Moment!

Carson stays busy all.day.long.  Which means I stay busy all day long, too!  From rearranging the cupboards, to "sorting" laundry, there's never a dull moment with this handsome guy!

I kept moving the play tent off the chair so he could sit down and he kept taking it back from me, putting it on the chair and climbing on top!

Front load washing machines are the perfect size for Carson!  He loves to help load and rotate laundry! We're still working on the folding part...

 He loaded the entire basket and closed the door!  Then, he stopped to watch the washer and dryer work their magic!

Earlier today, I dropped a basket of raspberries as I was putting them into the fridge.  Brian and Sadie quickly came to help pick them up.  Carson came just as fast...to eat them up!

What Sadie's Been Up To...

Sadie Bug moped around the house for the first few days while Morgan was at school.  I thought I was going to go crazy!  But, she started preschool, and, loves it!  When she's not at preschool, she's playing blocks and trains with Carson, or attentively tending to her baby, Bailey.  Here she is, preparing to take her on a field trip to the lake (can you tell what gets talked about a lot at our house???).

It's been pretty hot lately, so she's enjoyed some down time, watching movies from the library.  

 And, while Morgan sleeps in on Saturday morning, Sadie (and Carson) helps make breakfast!  She rolled all the biscuits for monkey bread this morning by herself!  And, the mess wasn't too bad, either!

School Days...School Days

School will finally begin at our house in about 1 hour!

Morgan was up, dressed, teeth brushed, and bed made before 6:30!  But, as anxious as she is to start school, today is a late start day and she can't meet her new teacher until 9:45!  So, she's currently curled up on the couch with yet another Magic Tree House book!  She's already informed me that she will have plenty of time after school to continue reading the series.

So, without further ado, here's Morgan on her first day of first grade!  She's an official "grader!"

And, I'm going to attempt to do something cute in her lunch box each day.  I remember when I was little, my mom put cute little Suzy's Zoo notes in our lunches.  It was always so fun.  Last night, on Pinterest (man, I love it!), I found 180 lunch box notes--one for each school day.  I've already printed them and cut them out, and they are ready to go each day!

I've also tried to find creative lunch ideas.  Last year, even though Morgan only went to school 2 days each week, I got stuck in a rut and she ended up with PB&J, applesauce, a fruit and crackers/cookies each day.  BORING!!!  So, I'm going to try and get creative, all while staying healthy.  Today, Morgan has requested homemade chicken noodle soup.  Not my choice on a hot summer day, but, hey, if she'll eat it....

Today's lunch: homemade chicken noodle soup, oatmeal cookies, nectarine and whole grain crackers, with a brand new water bottle on the side!  I found some cloth napkins while we were unpacking a few months ago, and thought I'd give it a shot.  I'm going green (well, at least for the week)!

And, for the first time in our married life, I packed Brian's lunch!  No leftovers today!  He's getting a turkey/spinach rollup, carrots with homemade ranch dressing, oatmeal cookies, and a pear.

Labor Day at the Lake

Guess where we spent our holiday? That's right....the lake!  We had some friends come up, we rented a boat (the kids loved it!), BBQ'd and played all day long!  We love this place!!

 Teresa stocked the kids with TONS of snacks for the boat--popcorn, graham crackers, "red" chips (Doritos), "blue" chips (the yucky Doritos), CapriSuns....

Our Trusty Captain! 

Teresa and the tots! 

Brian and I--I think we take a picture like this almost every year!  

It's fun to look back on them over the years!

I'm guessing one of the snacks included chocolate frosting? 

Morgan and her Oreo mustache! 

Yay for Brian--getting Carson to sleep in his stroller for almost an hour!  

Yummy homemade ice cream!  The kids, of course, were too impatient to let it cure (I remember being the same way as a kid), so it was more like soup, but, still delicious!

Thanks for coming up, Vitzians!  We all had a blast!

Vote for Carson!

Everyone always tells me that my kids should be Gerber Babies.  So, here's our chance!  Be sure to vote for him on Facebook everyday until September 24th!  

His entry number is: 402183

Here's the link:

https://apps.facebook.com/gerberps/detail.do?entry_id=402183

Good Luck, Little Buddy!