Austin's School Injury (3.6 years and 2 years)

We took a day trip to Idlewild park in Pennsylvania.  We left early in the morning and got there when the park opened.  It was a few hour drive.  Austin and Sydney do great in the van now so it's fairly easy to travel with them.  It had lots for rides for younger kids.  We spent the entire day just playing and riding on different things.  Austin really enjoyed riding the log ride.  Sydney was not tall enough.  But there were lots of rides she could ride on.  

Sydney's highlight was Danial Tiger.  They watch Danial Tiger so they were excited to meet him.  The park also has story book forest which is a path you walk along and it has all the nursery rhyme characters.  Most are just statues but there were a few real ones.  It is definitely something to do while they are young because I'm not sure how much older than 8 would enjoy it.  It was a nice family day for us.  

While Austin was at school last week, he got hurt.  I was driving home from work and I was on the phone with my mom.  I say the school was calling and I knew I had to take it.  A call from the school is never a good time.  The owner told me that Austin fell on the playground.  He hit his head badly and it was bleeding.  They were having difficulty stopping the bleeding and wondered if I wanted an ambulance called.  I said I would be there in 10 minutes.  I called Brian and rushed to the school.

When I got there I could not believe how deep the cut was above his right eye.  We definitely needed to go to urgent care.  I left Sydney at school and drove to the urgent care center.  Brian ended up right beyond me.

Austin was calm during everything.  He was scared but wasn't really crying.  They gave him 8 stitches.  When Austin was getting the stitches they told us we had to hold his hands and head.  It turns out we didn't need too.  He was great.  He held still and let them do it.  They obviously numbed it first.  I had a hard time watching the stitches.  I was under the light and got extremely hot.  I felt like I was going to pass out.  I was hungry too.  I always get nauseous when I am hungry and something gross is going on.  I had to step away for a while.  Austin did great and just look at Brian.  Austin talked about getting ice cream the entire time while the stitched him up.  He wanted to go to Menchie's. He talked about his ice cream and topping.  

We were in urgent care for about an hour.  We were supposed to go to high school band practice that night.  They kids were going to play on the field with them.  After the injury I thought we wouldn't be going.  Austin was upset that we were not going to go.  He was insisted that we still go.  Brian ran to Wendy's and got dinner.  We came up and picked up Sydney (Meemaw went and picked her up from school so we could be at the hospital with Austin).  We rushed to band practice and we arrived just as the kids were going out on the field.  

Austin loved band practice.  He played his instrument.  He danced on the field.  He was so happy.  Sydney had fun with the pompoms.  She would dance too.  It was so much fun.  We are so happy Austin made us still go.  After band practice, we took Austin for ice cream as promised.  They enjoyed their ice cream.  

All of this happened on Brian's birthday.  It was not exactly how Brian was planning on spending his birthday.  But it all worked out.  We celebrated Brian's birthday on Tuesday.  The kids and I made him a cake.  They are good helpers with cooking.  Austin and Sydney painted him a picture on canvas.  They really enjoyed doing that.  They made a card and spelled out happy birthday Daddy with stickers.  Sydney just wanted to play with the stickers (she loves stickers) but Austin was interested in spelling it out.  

We decided this year to walk the Metro Park Fall hiking spree.  Brian did it as a kid with his mom and grandparents.  Then in high school and college we did it together.  After Austin was born we stopped because you can't really push a stroller though the parks.  Now the kids are old enough to walk a lot of it so we decided to try it.  They love it!!!  Austin runs and walks over half the trails.  We need to carry more but she tries to keep up with Austin.  

It's cool because each trail is different.  Looking at the trails in the kids eyes is inspiring.  It's the simple things like a bridge or train tracks nearby that excite them so much.  Austin found a caterpillar on one of the trails.  He likes his bugs.  He's gentle with them and lets them crawl on him.  Sydney doesn't really want to touch it (I can understand that).  Austin always wants to know when we are going to walk another trail.  It's one of our favorite things to do right now.  

Last weekend we went apple picking for the first time this season.  The kids liked being on Brian's shoulders and picking apples up high.  They like picking apples so much that we ended up with 20 pounds of apples.  Brian brought us an apple peeler and slicer so it would be easy to make applesauce now.  Brian and the kids used the apple slicer last night.  Austin loves it.  He probably peeled and sliced 20 apples.  Sydney tried it too.  It was hard for her to do after a while.  The applesauce was yummy.  We are looking forward to picking more apples this season.  

Austin sings his ABC's well now.  He still doesn't say LMNOP that great but other than that it's good.  Sydney also sings them.  She doesn't know them all but knows the tune.  Sydney loves numbers.  She can count to 10 easily.  Maybe she is going to be an engineer like her daddy.  

Austin was looking at the Giant Eagle ad on the table.  He would tell us how much things cost.  He knew something was 99 cents and something else was $4.  Austin never uses the word tomorrow.  He always says "After this night".  I'm not sure how he learned that but it's so cute!  

Labor Day (3.6 and 2 years old)

On Saturday we went to Wild Water Kingdom in the morning.  We came home and took a nap then went back after nap.  Austin even got to go down the water slide that you have to be 40 inches tall to ride.  He loved the water slide.  We had so much fun at Wild Water this year.  They kids loved it.  Sydney even thinks she can swim by herself.  There were many slides for them to go down  We can't wait for them to open again next year.

On Sunday, we went to the Taste of Hudson.  We love that even too.  They have several activities for the kids.  Austin worked very hard coloring his wooden monkey.  He can color in the lines pretty well.  Sydney colored for a little bit then she was off and playing with some Little Tikes outside toys.  We had dinner there.  They even had a cookie for dessert.  After dinner, the kids played in the bounce houses.  I thought Sydney was too young/little do it but like always she surprised me.  Austin helped her the first time then after that she could always do it herself.  She is a strong and determined girl.  It was a nice family night.

On Monday, we went to the Cleveland Air Show with my parents.  Austin went two years ago with Brian.  I haven't been there in a very long time.  It was hot and sunny but the planes were great to see.  We were there from about 11am to 4:30pm.  The kids had fun going in planes and helicopters.  They would watch the planes too.  Meemaw even got the kids ice cream so they were very happy.  Everyone had a fun time.

Our holiday weekends are always so busy and fun!  We are a little sad that summer is basically over.  But we do love fall too.  We are looking forward to pumpkin patches and apple picking.

We are still rotating each night on putting the kids to bed.  I get Sydney one night then Austin the next and so on.  It prevents most fighting on who gets who most nights.  Sometimes the kids are not happy with who they are getting but telling them they get that person tomorrow helps.  Austin goes to sleep within 15 minutes once in bed.  You never know what you are going to get with Sydney.  It could be 10 - 60 minutes.

Austin is now pooping in a pull up.  I am very happy about that!  He tells us he needs to go and goes in the pull up.  No more cleaning his underwear.  We are trying to get him to poop in the bathroom but he is refusing.  If we push it, he will just hold his poop in.  I am hoping that he will just want to do it soon!

Sydney uses the potty about 25% of the time.  She likes using it because she gets an M&M's if she goes.  She loves chocolate.  She also does really great a school.  She tries at school 3-4 times a day.  She is staying dry at school some of the time too.  It's nice because she doesn't have a fear of the potties at school like Austin did.

Sydney has grown up a lot in the past few weeks.  She doesn't look so much like a baby anymore.  She is a little girl.  She definitely has opinions about everything.  She wants to do it her way or no way.  She screams way too much.  That is her way to get what she wants.  Most of the times I want ear plugs.  She is much louder than Austin.  However when Sydney starts screaming Austin will follow.  That is one issue I wish we could control.  Brian and I try but it's so hard.

We are using the counting discipline method.  They get 3 chances to stop doing what they are doing or they have to go to time out.  Out time out chair is upstairs in the corner.  They will sit in time out fairly well now.  Austin is learning that 3 minutes is a long time and he doesn't want to sit there so he usually corrects his behavior.  Sydney enjoys going to sit up there.  Brian and I are not as consistent as we should be but we are trying harder at it.  The biggest discipline issues we have are screaming, standing up in their chairs at dinner, wanting the same thing all the time, and hitting each other.

We take them to the stores with us every weekend.  They sometimes have issues there.  They like to run and scream in the stores at times.  Other times they will stay with us and shop with us.  They like to ask for things to get.   They like Giant Eagle because they get a piece of cheese at the deli.  We get lunch meat every week because of this.  They now hold their own cheese and eat it while we shop.  Sydney use to drop it but she's good at holding it now.  I can't believe how fast they are growing up.

Happy 2nd Birthday Sydney (3.5 years and 2 years)

Nana came up to visit Sydney on her birthday weekend.  She arrived on Saturday afternoon.  Austin was really excited that she was coming up.  Sydney didn't completely understand but she was excited nevertheless.  It was great that she was able to come up and spend quality time with the kids.

On Sunday we all went to Wild Water Kingdom.  Nana couldn't believe Sydney and the water.  Sydney is convinced she can swim and will not allow anyone to help her.  She loves the water and wants to do everything herself.  In some places her head is barely above the water but she still manages somehow.  We had a great morning at the water park.  We are so happy we got passes this year.

On Sunday after nap we celebrated Sydney's birthday.  Meemaw and Papa came over too.  We had meatloaf for dinner.  We enjoyed our dinner together.  After dinner Sydney (and Austin) opened presents.  Austin really wanted to open all the presents but he did good allowing Sydney to try first.  Sydney got a Minnie Mouse outfit and socks from Nana.  Meemaw and Papa got her Dora dishes, dress, and a helicopter.  They got Austin a helicopter too.  Auntie Pam and Uncle Dennis got her a zoo flip book.  Auntie Melissa, Uncle Jonathan, and Camden got her dresses and PJ's dresses.  We got her a baby stroller and puzzles.  She loves puzzles.  She puts them together every night.

After presents we had a Dairy Queen ice cream cake.  Usually Lauren makes the kid's cake but this weekend didn't work out for her.  So I figured I would try an ice cream cake.  We haven't had one of them in a very long time.  Austin and Sydney loved the cake.  I wanted to get her an Elmo cake but they didn't have it.  They had Dora and Sydney loves Dora too so it worked out fine.  I thought the Dora cake was cute.  

On Monday, we went to the Akron Zoo.  We have passes to Cleveland however I do enjoy the Akron zoo.  It was very nice.  Austin and Sydney had a great time with Nana.  It was a beautiful day.  They had a few playgrounds to play on too.  It was a great day.

Tuesday was Sydney's second birthday.  It is crazy that she was born 2 years ago.  Time is going by way too fast.  Every day I am so grateful for Austin and Sydney.  They make our lives complete.  Brian and I could not imagine our lives without them.  It's complete craziness most days but it's totally worth it.  We are so happy they were born.

I took Sydney to her 2 year check up doctor's appointment.  It was so nice Nana was here because Austin stayed home with her.  It's so easy to just take 1 child to the doctor's office.  Sydney weighs 25 pounds (35 percentile for weight) now and her length is 34.25 (75% percentile for length) inches.  The doctor says she is doing well.  Physically she has always been ahead just trying to keep up with Austin.  She now talks all the time.  We can understand her pretty well.  She forms 4-5 word sentences and lets us know what she wants.  It's never quite in our house unless they are sleeping.

Nana and Austin watched a tree getting cut down a street over while we were at the doctor's office.  They watched for about 2 hours.  Austin absolutely loved it.  He sat on a big rock and would slide down it.  He told everyone about it later that day.  It's cool that Nana did that for him.  I would not have just because I wouldn't be able to stay there that long with Sydney.  Plus I feel weird standing in strangers yards but Nana didn't mind at all.  They had a great time together.

That evening we had dinner then I had to go to my mommy club meeting.  There are a lot of field trips I wanted to sign up.  Brian, Nana, and the kids played at the playground near by while I was at the meeting.  Afterwards we went to McDonalds for 49 cent ice cream cones.  Austin and Sydney were very excited about that.  Sydney had a wonderful birthday.

Nana put Sydney to bed a few nights.  It was amazing because she would have her asleep within 15 minutes without any crying.  It was awesome.  She takes over 30 minutes every night for Brian and I.  She loves puzzles and books so she wants to do that instead of sleeping.  But she listened so well for Nana and went right to sleep.

On Wednesday, we celebrated Sydney's birthday with Kaitlyn, Keith and Lisa.  They came over and we had ice cream cake and played outside.  They got Sydney an easel.  Sydney loves it.  They will probably use it a lot this winter.  Austin, Sydney, and Kaitlyn love playing together.  They fight over toys but they enjoy playing together.  It was fun to have them over.  We usually go to their house in the summer.

When Sydney went back to school, I made her Elmo cookies for her class.  Austin also wanted cookies for his friends so I made him Cookie Monster cookies.  I am not that artistic but I tried and I think for me they turned out well.

Virginia Beach (3.55 years and 23.75 months)

Last weekend we went to Virginia Beach.  We drove down on Thursday.  We left around 7 am. For some reason it took us 12 hours to get there.  We stopped for lunch and dinner for an hour each though.  We did take our time getting there.  The kids did really well in the car.  They watched their Kindles.  Their favorite car games were stickers, toy house, toy computers, and happy meal toys they would get.  We also had letter flash cards that they enjoyed doing too.  Austin really liked that.

When we finally arrived in Virginia Beach,we unpacked then went out to enjoy Beach Street.  Beach Street is probably our favorite thing about Virginia Beach.  We saw a street performer that juggled fire.  The show was 45 minutes and the kids stayed and watched the entire show.  Austin really enjoyed it!

On Friday morning we went on a pirate ship ride.  We drove down to the parking lot and then had to take a bus to the boat. Austin was so excited to ride the bus.  He has always loved buses.  Before the boat ride, Austin said his favorite part.  We arrived to the pier and we got on with about 8 other families.  So it was not too crowded.  We walked around the ship and then we took off to the ocean.  We saw dolphins right away.  We were close to them.  I really enjoyed that.

On the boat, they started to train the kids on how to be pirates.  Austin and Sydney were not too in to that.  They tried to participate some.  They did get a drawing on their arms.  They also got to squirt water into the ocean.  Then one of the pirates shot off the cannon.  It was loud but they liked it.  The end was the best part, the kids got to squirt black beard who was trying to take over the ship with water.  Austin loved it.  After the kids won that challenge they got to get a map and pick a piece of treasure from the treasure chest.  Austin was first in line.  He was so excited about that.  His face was priceless!

After nap, we went to the beach. They kids played in sand and ocean.  They love sand.  It's hard to believe that Austin didn't like sand the first year of his life.  Now he loves it.  Sydney and Austin can play in sand for a long time.  They were not too sure of the ocean at first. But the warmed up to it quickly.  Playing in the waves was fun for everyone.

That evening we went to beach street again.  Sydney made friends with a statue.  They really liked each other.  We enjoyed some entertainment.  That night we went to Sweet Frogs for ice cream.  The kids loved it.  Austin calls the place "Frogs".  It works out nicely because we each get a little bit of ice cream.  The price is reasonable and we are all happy.

On Saturday morning we rented a bike and rode on the bike trail for 2 hours.  It was fun.  It's harder to pedal than I thought.  It was good exercise.  The kids enjoyed riding in the front of the bike.  We stopped and played on the playground.  And later stopped for a fruit snack and juice break.  Brian and I enjoyed renting the bikes and were glad we did.

After bike riding we went swimming in the pool.  Austin and Sydney love swimming in hotel pools now.  They love wearing their life jackets and swimming by themselves.  They are good swimmers for their ages.  They will put their heads in the water.  Jump in all by themselves.  Sydney still forgets to keep her mouth closed all the time though.  Austin keeps his eyes open under water.  They really enjoyed the pool.

That evening we went to a restaurant for dinner.  We waited a long time for the food.  Luckily the food was good.  We sat outside on the oceanfront which was nice so the kids could watch the bikes and boats.  Then we enjoyed beach street again.  We had our ice cream and while eating our ice cream we heard fireworks.  We ran and watched them.  It was another awesome night.

On Sunday, we spent the entire day at the beach.  Brian set up our beach tent first thing in the morning.  We played in sand.  Brian got some key chains at the store and buried them in the sand for the kids to find.  Austin had fun with that.  We played in the ocean a lot.  Sydney wanted to swim by herself.  She didn't like that we had to hold on to her.  She really thoughts she could swim alone.  She has no fear.  Brian would hold her by her bathing suit and let her swim around.  She loved it until she realized Brian was still holding her.  I couldn't hold her much because she was too out of control for me.  We would be in waist deep water for Brian and I and she would want down to touch.  It was crazy!

We would walk the beach and find seashells for Meemaw.  Meemaw told Austin to get her some seashells so of course he did.  Walking the beach is so relaxing.  I really enjoyed that.

We also rented a bike and biked the entire beach path along the ocean.  It was very good exercise for Brian and I.  Austin and Sydney had fun sitting in the front.  It was really fun to do!  Once we got to the end of the path, the kids played on the playground before we rode our bikes back to our hotel.

Austin is very funny. The things he says now are so funny.  During the trip, I was inside the room with Sydney changing her and Austin and Brian were outside the room in the hallway.  Sydney starting crying because she didn't want dressed. Austin looked at Brian and said, "I didn't do anything to her".  Then later on in the trip he told us, "Sometime I have a few issues and then I go back to being good".

We had an awesome time in Virginia Beach.  There is so much entertainment for the kids and adults.  It's great family time for all of us.  It truly is one of my favorite vacation spots for us.

Auntie Melissa and Camden Visit (3.5 years and 23.5 months)

Melissa came in on Wednesday night.  My schedule this week was supposed to be Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday but I switched and worked Monday instead of Friday.  On Thursday night Melissa and Camden came over and we went to Chick Fil A for dinner.  They were having a celebration with all kids of games and prizes.  We had dinner. Then kids played on the playground, and then we played games outside.  Austin enjoyed spinning the wheel for prizes.  We won a lot of free food from Chick Fil A.

On Friday, Melissa, Camden, Austin, Sydney, and I went to the Cleveland Zoo.  We have been there a lot lately but this was Camden's first trip so it was great.  The kids even got to feed the giraffes.  The kids really like the zoo.  We had McDonald's for lunch.  We went home and the kids slept in the car.  However once we got back home Camden decided he didn't want to take a nap.  It was crazy.  He's the youngest and didn't even nap.

On Saturday we went to Memphis Kiddie Park.  It is a little amusement park for young kids.  They have about 10 rides there.  From one of the local mommy clubs we had a discounted price and the kids could ride all they wanted for 2 hours.  Austin, Sydney, and Camden loved it!  Camden did so well.  He would ride by himself like a big boy. We had a great day there.

That evening we had dinner at our house with our aunts and cousin Lauren from Cleveland.  It was great seeing them.  We don't get to see them often. Lauren is having a baby next month so it's great talking with her and remembering back to when that was us.

On Sunday, we went to Wild Water Kingdom.  The kids love it there.  I am so happy we got passes.  Camden was a little young for it.  He did enjoy the water and all and all it worked out fine.  Austin and Sydney love water too.  I am so grateful for that.  I love swimming in a pool.  It's a great summer activity for us.

On Monday, we went to a picnic for the local mommy club.  It was raining so we didn't stay too long.  Then we went to McDonald's for ice cream.  The kids of course loved it.

We had such a fun week with Melissa and Camden.  Camden is such a cute little boy.  He enjoyed playing with his cousins.  It made me wish they lived closer.  Everyone had such a good time together.  Hopefully we will see them again soon.  It's sad not being able to see Camden grow up.  Kids grow so fast and next time I see him he'll be so different.  Luckily we do get to see them a few times a year.

Austin found a frog in our backyard.  He really liked him a lot.  He was so gentle trying to catch him and put him down to play.  He was sad when we had to go inside for the night.  Luckily he found him several times so he could continue to play with him.

Cincinnati (3.5 years old and 23 months)

Brian goes to Cincinnati once a year for work.  We go too since we love to travel.  We drove down Saturday afternoon.  We stopped at Chic Fil A for dinner.  The kids loved that because of the playground.  Chick Fil A does a great job with costumer service, cleanliness, and always having a playground.  Then we went to our hotel and checked in.  After checking in we decided to take the kids swimming in the hotel pool.  Now the kids are older and enjoy swimming, a hotel with a swimming pool is a must if we are staying any length of time.  It was a fun night.

Sunday was our day at Kings Island.  We got there about when it opened.  We went to camp Snoopy (the kids area) first.  We rode on the helicopters that went around the Camp Snoopy area.  Then Austin and Brian went on the roller coaster. Sydney drove some cars.  We were some what disappointed because there were only about 5-6 rides that Sydney could ride.  She is 33 inches.  The kids still had fun.  After riding several rides, we went for a walk around the park.  During the walk, the kids took a nap in the stroller.

During nap time Brian and I walked over to the water park to check it out. We decided it was worth it so once the kids woke up we took them to the water park.  The water park was very nice. I enjoyed it more than the dry rides.  We played for a couple of hours.  Sydney even enjoyed going down the water slides herself.  She was a little hesitant at first but Brian got her to do it and then she loved it.  We had so fun.

After the water park we rode the train. Austin really loves trains.  He talks about riding a train a lot.  Then we went up in the Eiffel Tower.  Sydney was a little scared of that. Austin didn't have any fear.  We finished our day at Kings Island riding a few more kiddie rides.

We realized we should of packed a cooler for lunch. The price of food in the park is ridiculous.  We decided to leave the park and find dinner on the way home.  We wanted to eat at Friendly's however there was not one near by.  We ended up at Ruby Tuesdays.  It was not the best choice. The kids were not well behaved and the food was just okay.  We have no plans to return there anytime soon.  It was a fun exhausting day.

On Monday morning we took Brian to work. Then the kids and I went back to the hotel. We went swimming. The kids had life jackets on so they could swim everywhere.  We swam for about an hour then we got dressed and checked out of the hotel.

I took the kids to the children's museum and the natural history museum for the day.  The Cincinnati children's museum is awesome!  I really love it there and so do Austin and Sydney.  They really like the ball area and the water play.  The construction site is cool too. We played there until about 1 pm. Then we went and had some lunch at the museum entrance.  After lunch we went to the National History Museum.  In there the kids got to play in sand and explore a cave.  They were a little scared of the cave but enjoyed it.  They had a lot of fun.  Then we went and picked up Brian and drove home.

The next weekend was Solon home days.  It's a carnival with rides and food.  We went with Lisa, Keith, and Kaitlyn. The kids got a pass for the rides.  They rode the rides all evening.  It fun to watch them ride the rides.  We are taking them so many places because before we know it they will be too old for a lot of these things.  Our outlook is the kids are only young once so let's do as much as we possibly can with them.  We are all enjoying it.

Unfortunately Sydney is entering into the terrible 2 phase.  She is loud and screams a lot.  She likes things her way only.  She will have tantrums now.  It's so sad.  Luckily she is still the most lovable girl.  She loves hugs and kisses.  She will say hi to Austin until he finally says hi back.  Sydney still sleeps on her floor most nights. She likes to arrange the blankets however she wants them.  She will tell me exactly where to sleep too.  Some nights she will want rocked to sleep too.  I am enjoying that because soon she will not.  She goes to bed between 9-9:30 pm and gets up around 7 am.  That is the same for Austin but Austin almost always gets up a little bit earlier.

4th of July (3.5 years and 22.75 months)

Before kids, we would have a movie night in our backyard several times in the summer and once in the fall.  We haven't been doing it since the kids have been so young.  This year we thought we would give it a try.  Austin is old enough and Sydney does everything Austin does so we thought it would be fun.

We had about 15 people come to the movie night.  It was a nice turn out for our first movie night in a long time.  We watched Frozen.  The kids loved playing with glow sticks and playing on the swing set.  Mostly the adults watched the movie.  Austin and Sydney had a great time!  We are so glad we did it.  We hope to do another one before the summer is over.

We love the 4th of July.  Our favorite fireworks are in Fairlawn.  We try and go every year.  We know exactly where to park so we don't get stuck in traffic.  A band plays music before fireworks and the kids like listening to music.  This year Austin and Sydney ran around a lot.  They were not as interested in the music.  They had glow sticks too.  It was a fun night. The fireworks were awesome.  We bring ear protection for them and they enjoy the fireworks.  It was a nice family night.

Donnie, Cheri, Zach and Maggie came in for the 4th of July on Sunday night too. On Monday morning I went down to my parents house with the kids.  Donnie, Cheri, Zach and Maggie came over too. It was nice to see them.  We decided to go down to Amish country for the day.  We went to the Smuckers farm first, then to Amish stores, and then for lunch at the Amish Door.  This was the first time Austin and Sydney have been down to Amish country.  We had a great time.

Dean came into town on Tuesday morning.  We met everyone for dinner that night.  Then on Wednesday we went to the zoo.  It was great because Brian met us at the zoo for a few hours that day too.  Austin and Sydney are really enjoying the zoo these days.  Brian got some awesome pictures of Austin and Sydney feeding the giraffes.  And the bear was in the water which he got some good pictures of that too.  We all enjoyed the zoo.

On the 4th of July, we all went to the parade.  Last year just Brian, I, and the kids went and we sat at the airport.  That worked out well for us.  So we did it again this year.  We got donuts in the morning and met everyone down there.  It's nice to have the airport field for the kids to run around. The parade was great.  The kids so way too much candy.  They had fun getting it though.  Going to a parade with little kids is so awesome.  They got to see firetrucks, trackers, horses, go carts, etc.  It's one of my favorite traditions.

Then after the parade everyone went home.  The kids took a nap. Everyone came up to our house for dinner.  We enjoyed to hanging out at our house.  I am so happy that they all came up from Texas.  We don't get to see each other often but I enjoy the time we do get to see each other.  It was a great week.  After dinner they went back to my parents house.  And then they went back to Texas on Saturday.

Since we had so much fun at fireworks in Fairlawn, we decided to take them to Solon to see them.  We had never seen them before there.  It was very crowded.  We ended up at a school which worked out because there was a playground for them to play on while we waited for fireworks.  Then the fireworks started and we enjoyed the show.  Traffic was a disaster but they kids fell asleep in the car so it worked out.  We had a great holiday week!

Unfortantely Mike's sister and law passed away from cancer.  The came up for the funeral.  They spent the day with us.  We went to Home Depot so the kids could make an project. They made a bug catcher.  It is so cool that Home Depot does this every month.  Austin and Sydney really like it.  They enjoyed placing the stickers on the bug catcher.  Austin couldn't wait to go catch some bugs!   That evening we went to Burger King for dinner so they could play on the playground.   Austin and Sydney enjoyed spending time with Nana and Grandpa for the day.

Sydney is talking more and more. It's hard for others to understand her but Austin, Brian and I can understand almost everything she says.  There is never a quite moment in our house.  They are always talking or screaming about something.  It's nice that Sydney is using her words now.