End of Summer

This summer was seriously one for the books! We had so much fun together and it came to an end all too fast! One morning in August I came downstairs to find Chase whipping up pancakes for the whole family! He had never done it before but he figured it out (with a few tips from me) and loved making all kinds of shapes of pancakes for us! I love this kid!

 And this is just one of the things I love about Hudson. Walking into the room in a totally random assortment of accessories is total normal for him- he's usually pretending he's on some type of adventure!

 Davis's obsession with his dad got even stronger this summer. This is what he did one day when I went in to get him from his nap and he wanted his daddy- he claimed he was "stuck".

This cute little smile just wins my heart over every single day. He's the cutest kid.

 This was just one afternoon when all the kids were really grumpy and none of their friends could play, so we walked/biked over to the school and played on the park. The boys all had a great time and it passed the afternoon in a really great way! These boys are always happier when they are outside.

 Nana had an unexpected job change and had to move classrooms again, so we went to go help one day. This cart was a huge hit for these boys- basically like Disneyland. And then Nana treated these little helpers to lunch at Old Grist Mill- so this "service opportunity" really ended up being a blast!

 Davis does this all the time. Whenever there is the tiniest little puddle- he tries to drink from it. And splash in it. And get completely wet. And then immediately insist on changing clothes.

 On one of our very last days of summer we went bowling at Boondocks. It was kind of a nightmare to take Davis there (huge, heavy balls and Davis were not a good combo) but the older kids had fun!

 My friend Marilee snapped this picture about 3 minutes before Davis jumped in the pool completely dressed (and with shoes on!). He just looked at me with a huge grin and jumped right in! We were standing a few feet from him and Marilee jumped in and grabbed him super fast (she had a swim suit on, I didn't) and he wasn't in any real danger. In fact, I could see his little face (completely submerged in the water) with a huge grin on it the whole time. In fact, he's done this twice this summer now. So he thought it was a good laugh and learned NOTHING from the experience. Oh this boy, he keeps me on my toes! Also- all my other kids and all of Marilee's swam for like 2 hours this day and had a great time, I just don't have lots of pictures of all the pool fun since usually I'm in the water and it's harder to capture on camera.

 The boys worked so hard all summer to earn points- they had to earn 100. They got points for doing jobs, reading books, not fighting, yard work, etc. Their reward was a morning at Dartside with Ben and then lunch afterward (they chose Buffalo Wild Wings). They had the best time and loved their morning out. This ended up being the Saturday before school started and Chase said it was the best day of his summer!