The days are long

Thank God the kids are cute!

Using markers as drumsticks against the metal chairs!

Rolling down a hill at a playground!

On the way back from a playground.

At said playground!

Olivia's first soccer practice! She loved it!

Walking the neighbors dog: Olivia's first job!

At another playground! This one is getting adventurous!

Tea parties on track out! (Did I mention Olivia is out of school from September 5-October1?!! I had big plans for fun stuff, but everyone has been sick in turn, and now Leo has started the cycle again. :(. )

Eating sweet potatoes from our tiny garden!

The KY trip 9/2015: Mutti's house

I did the worst job of taking pictures at Mutti's house, but we had fun visiting there! Her dog, Bug, was quite the entertainment for Olivia and Leo, who thought they were dog trainers! And Uncle Chuck, as always, was a hit!

The KY trip 9/2015: Grandpa's house

We had fun playing with Grandpa Bill and Tamara on Bill's birthday! I didn't get many pictures, but Tamara and Olivia spent lots of time playing, talking, and exploring. Nicholas and Bill got in some good visiting time. Jason took a nap on the carpet of their guest room, while Leo and I relaxed on the couch. 

And we celebrated Grandpa's birthday with a delicious chocolate cake!

The IN trip 9/2015: the farm

So much cousin fun!!

With bunnies!

With Legos and trains!

With swings, and Popsicles...

And more Legos and swings and the trampoline!

And the creek in bathing suits...

Fun running down the hill! (Isn't childhood magical that a hill is a grand opportunity?!)

Feeding chickens and picking apples!

Riding and giving sweets to horses!

The wonder of a straw bale!

Sweet Isaac and Aunt Heidi watching the horses and riders!

Grandma and Grandpa's house!

Fishing from the pond!

A hot morning ride and dinner together!

Oh, what fun we had!

The IN trip 9/2015: the drive

After school on Friday! It went really well...the seating arrangement helped. I sat next to Jason in the middle row and the big kids sat in the very back.

Beginning and then during Jason's nap! First headphones for Leo! 

Hour eight!

We left around 12:30 and made it in around 11:30. All in all not as bad as I expected!

Leo's first day of preschool 2015-16

Yay, hooray, Leo's first day was today! He is in the Frogs class at the same preschool he went to last year. We went to a meet and greet with his teachers Wednesday, and after an initial upset when Leo realized Olivia wouldn't be going to school there anymore, Leo had fun exploring his new room and playing with old friends. He had a great day today, despite me forgetting to pack his lunch. His teachers said he was the line leader today since he was the only one up to it! Yay for resilient Leo!!

The only thing that stays the same is that everything changes!

Jason has seven teeth, and is eating so much of what we eat! He's not content with being spoon fed baby food! Here he's having pork fried rice, and a quesadilla and apple slice.

The boys are a joy to play with while Olivia is at school!

Of course, we miss sweet Olivia when she's at school!

Jason is exploring and trying to crawl and trying to pull up! It's a new discovery every day! He loves pulling things out...as in every single tool in Leo's tool bench!

Olivia's class had a surprise on Thursday. They read "When the Relatives Came," and later that day the relatives surprised them and came for lunch! My sweet girl was happy to see me. We read and ate lunch, and it was fun to see Olivia interacting with her friends! I left the boys at home with a new babysitter!

This is her class that same day with all their favorite stuffed toys! Olivia's on the front left. What a sweet class!