Fantastic 4th!

The past few years the 4th of July has meant family fun at the beach, but this year the celebration had a little extra meaning.
Pop retired July 1st after 41 years with the VA. I know it was a bittersweet week for him, lots of memories and lots of close friends. We are so proud of him for his hard work and dedication to his country both while serving in Vietnam and in his work for the VA.
I am so glad he can kick back and relax now, well at least for the summer.

So on saturday morning, our gang invaded the peaceful solitude of South Bowers. Saturday was a gorgeous day, I dont think you could have a better beach day. Perfect temp, perfect sun, the right breeze and no greenhead flies!

We hung out on the beach most of the day, playing in the water, searching for shells and rocks, and floating in the bay on the rafts, oh and we enjoyed a few Landsharks as well.

Saturday night was fireworks night for South Bowers. Pop and Noni's next door neighbors are now known for their rockin July 4th party and fireworks. Kevin and I are a little jealous of them, imagine being in your mid twenties and having a brand new house on the beach to live in-with all the toys you need (waverunners, dunebuggies, etc,..you get the picture).

Anyway, their fireworks displays have gotten better each year. So we were looking forward to seeing what 2011 would bring. We had a great dinner, Kevin grilled up some steaks, we had corn, tomatoes, sweet potato fries. Then it was time to head to the beach to build our campfire.

Alek takes his job as daddy's firebuilder helper very seriously. He is always sent off to look for kindling and smaller sticks. He loves it. Kevin built the fire a little close to the water this year as the tide was moving in, Pop and I kindly reminded him of that and so the fire was moved.

Roasting marshmellows, listening to Jimmy Buffett, having a few beers while sitting around a fire on the beach, it is very hard to top that.

But the fireworks did! They were awesome. Maks still doesn't like the loud bangs of the fireworks, so after a bit, the boys walked with Noni to Mr. Al's deck to watch from there, though apparently they were more interested in watching SpongeBob and eating cheerios in Mr. Al's living room. Oh well, their loss!

Not sure, if it was just the total experience, but the fireworks were so good this year-we were really impressed. It was so nice just sitting on the beach hanging with Kevin and my Dad.

The boys finally wandered back down the beach and we could tell they were ready for bed.

I walked them back down the path and looked longingly at the party on the beach as the DJ was just getting started and people were dancing......But I shook that off, put my mom hat back on and got my babies washed up and tucked into bed. They passed out very quickly.

Kevin and I were close behind them, alot of sun and fun jammed into one day-and knowing Maks morning would come quickly!

Kevin had borrowed a kids dunebuggy from Tim for the weekend. It was a big hit. Thankfully it had a good harness seatbelt and Kevin could control the speed as I was very nervous to have them drive. They loved it and it was a blast to watch their expressions.

Pop's lawn may never be the same though! It worked great on the beach during low tide and the tighter packed sand, there were issues though in the deeper sand.

Alek really had it down, spinning out as he turned, he definitely thought he was the man while he was driving, the cocky look on his face said it all.

Maks was more serious and more cautious which was funny. He seemed to get himself stuck more often, but he was a little short for it, another inch or two in height and he will be good to go!

It was another fantastic weekend at the beach. I love watching how happy the kids are down there. I love watching them run around free on the beach and the fact they have so much room to explore. I just think of what great memories they will have and we are grateful for Pop and Noni for providing them with this awesome place to build those summer memories!
So congrats again Pop, I hope you try and relax this week and not jump right into any projects--you earned the time to sit back and put your feet up!!

Monday the 4th we headed home early to hopefully beat the traffic, which thankfully we did.

We then headed over to our friends for a impromptu cookout, water balloon fight.

We took in the fireworks at Skippack to wind down our holiday weekend. It was a long 3 days jammed pack with a lot of fun and we are thankful for all we are able to do.

Summer needs to slow down a little....I need more time to soak up the sun!

Whose the Man?

Dad's the man, of course!
Happy Father's Day to the #1 Dad!!

Someone sent me this quote once and it couldn't be more true in our house:

"My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, "You're tearing up the grass." "We're not raising grass," Dad would reply. "We're raising boys." ~Harmon Killebrew

We had a great Father's Day. We treated Daddy to a big breakfast of pancakes, bacon, sausage, strawberries and pineapples--started our day off with full bellies.
Then we gave daddy 2 hours of him time while the boys and I went to the pool.

We hung outback, had an awesome dinner of daddy's famous ribs and chicken and shrimp kakobs.

Daddy and the guys played in the hot tub and then it was time for a mini fire perfect for making Smores!

Though, Maks and Alek had some issues roasting their marshmellows or smarshmellows as Maks says. Needless to say quite a few wound up in the fire pit!

But the ones that survived sure were yummy!!

Daddy seemed to enjoy his presents too:

A monogrammed branding iron, so he can personalize those steaks on the grill (thanks for the tip C!)

A personalized wallet sized bottle opener.

A shirt and a new pair of shoes-which amazingly he liked (he can be a little picky!).

So Happy Dad's Day, Kevin. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

There is no one I would rather being going through this adventure with than you.

I know I dont tell you enough, but you are an amazing dad and Alek and Maks are lucky to have you guiding them through life.

Happy Father's Day to my dad as well. I couldn't ask for a better Dad, all my fun and happy childhood memories have you in them, from neighborhood bike rides back the creek to riding the waves at the shore. You were always there for me in your strong and quiet way. And now as you can ready to embark on this new adventure in life, retirement, I hope you can finally kick back and relax (well except for when our crew invades the beach).

You are an awesome dad and you helped me to figure out early on exactly the kind of man I would want to share my parenting adventure with.

Jumpin June

Its June, so that means school is winding down and its graduation season!
Maks is our cute little grad (Take 1 as we have said).
Since he has been in the K class at LL all year he was able to participate in graduation, he graduated from K to Official kindergarten.
So you will see Take 2 of these pics next yr for the official K to 1st graduation, but it was very exciting none the less!

He did an amazing job at the ceremony, he was very serious about his singing and the performance. We were very proud of him, because, well you just never know what will happen when Maks is in the spotlight!

He did a great job in K, year 1 and his teacher informed us that she is so impressed with knowledge of numbers and how he picks math up. She said it is unusual for a 5 yr old to be able to look at a number like 623 and know how to say it, six hundred and twenty three. So we were really happy to hear that.
He still struggles a bit with his writing and drawing (fine motor stuff), but she said it is more a frustration issue, but feels this coming year he will make great progress. We are so proud of you Makadoo and we love you so much! Though it will be reallly hard for mommy to watch her baby head to kindergarten at the big school this fall. Lots of tissues will be packed!

The other big news in Maks land--he finally lost his first tooth!! Poor kid has been working on loosing a tooth for years just to catch up to Alek! He was so happy when it finally popped out, even the blood didn't dampen his excitement!

I never saw a child go to sleep so fast so the tooth fairy could come for a visit!
He was very excited to wake up and find money, pencils, candy and prizes in a bag that morning. What an exciting start to summer for Maks!

The boys baseball league had a night at the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs game. We went up with our neighbors and did a little pre-game tailgating.

The kids had a blast playing catch in the parking lot and we all had fun with the snacks and beverages!

The kids then got to parade on the field pre game. It was really cute. Maks was the only one from his T-Ball team who made the trip, so Daddy got to walk with Maks. It was alot of fun watching them strut their stuff around the field.

Of course, Alek's team was hurling themselves at the outfield wall making pretend they were making big catches--they were a trip! It was a fun night and a great complex they have up there. We look forward to going back up for another game!

June also brought alot of year end activities for Alek at school. He had his author's tea. His class sang some songs and read some of the things they wrote all year. They put together a little individual book of their stories and drawings and we got to sit with them and have some juice and cake. I am very proud of my boys that they are able to stand up and perform without seeming to be nervous or jittery. I love watching them--I had tears in my eyes thinking of how much they have grown and what little men they are becoming!

Alek also had his end of the year party which I was able to help out with. We went with the luau theme. We had fun games of hot beach ball, ring toss in the hulahoop, and water balloon toss-which was the biggest hit. It is a blast watching him in action with his classmates. I love it!!

The start of June also brought another graduation-TT, graduated high school. So hard to believe! In my eyes she is that sweet little preschooler flower girl walking down the isle at our wedding and now she is off to college. She looked gorgeous at graduation and we are so proud of her and can't wait to see what the future holds for her!

Can't wait for the official graduation celebration!

Well that school year just flew by--Alek is headed into 2nd grade and Maks into kindergarten. My babies are getting too big, but thankfully they are not too big yet to still love to cuddle with mommy at night--I will savor every snug!

Next up, Father's Day.......

Unofficial

Start of Summer! Memorial Day 2011


Party at JoJo's

So happy summer is almost here! We kicked off the holiday weekend down the beach at Pop and Noni's. We managed to get in some good sun hours on the beach before a big storm hit. But the water was warm, the boys had some swimming fun and the official start of Alek's stone and shell collection has begun!

It was great being back at the beach, relaxing and watching my boys run around on the wide open beach. It is so wonderful to sit with my toes in the sand and read a good book. I am looking forward to many more weekends like this!

Sunday we headed home with our new (hand me down) refridgerator for the garage-thanks Pop and Noni! Great to have our beverage fridge back--we missed the extra freezer space too!

Memorial Day was the annual party and parade at JoJo's. No rain thankfully but it sure was HOT!! Felt like August. No matter though, the kids had a blast.
It was a great spread as usual by Jo and it was nice to hang out on the new patio!

Alek and Maks were missing Jakey, who was celebrating his bday up the mountains this year, but they were happy when their girls (KeKe, Ry and Makenzie) showed up.

All the kids participated in the races this year, no winners from our group this time. Alek was pretty bitter over that, he has become quite the competitor!

But the moonbounces and the spraying from the fire hoses helped brighten his spirit.

As always they had a great time at the Wyndmoor field!

We headed back to Jo's for more good food and our own water fun with a hose.

These kiddos know how to have a great time!

It was an awesome holiday weekend and now the countdown til the end of school is on!!

Lots of fun and exciting activities for the beginning of June as we look forward to our favorite season-

SUMMER!!

It's a Boy's Life

Yep, it is truly a boys world around here!
We have it all, bugs, worms, wildlife, sports, dirt and lots of silliness.

The pond and the creek provide lots of entertainment. Whether it is feeding the fish, or just letting them suck on your fingers in Maks' cases, or digging for worms and bugs, our boys do it all.

We call Alek the frog whisperer. For some reason, the frogs in our pond let him grab them, either that or he is stealth like as he sneaks up on them.

Maks loves the rolly polly bugs (those gray things that roll up when they are scared). He is always happy to bring me over a handful of his babies, even though I tell him countless times mommy doesn't really need to see or pet them.

We had guests this spring on our back patio. A robin family built a nest in the pavilion. It was really cool to watch the whole process unfold. We got to see both mom and dad gathering worms and taking turns feeding the 3 babies in the nest. The boys loved when the babies heads would stretch up high out of the nest looking for food.

We sat quietly many afternoon watching the feedings take place. Then one day the nest was empty, so the babies grew quickly and left the nest. I wonder if the mommy robin was sad, like I am watching my babies grow too fast.

The pond and the creek offer many little critters to be discovered. Alek and Maks also love to dig for worms after a good rain and then they feed the worms to the fish. The fish love that extra special treat!

We have plenty of other wildlife sightings in our yard as well and the guys like to keep a look out for what may be running through next.

We have a ton of bunnies this year, they are all over the place.

The ground hog family has returned and I am sure they are happy Kaiser is not here to chase them. We miss him for that!

We have seen several deer and one buck making their way down the creek to the woods. That is always exciting. Even more so, now that our crazy next door neighbors have moved out, so I dont have to worry about him opening fire on one of the deer.

Lots of hawks circle our yard looking for a meal. Last year sadly we got to see one take off with a bunny, it made me nauseous, but the boys thought it was cool-of course. Discovery channel in my backyard.

The newest boy game of the season is a fence ball of sorts. Usually played with the next door neighbors. It could be a football, baseball or frisbee.

It is thrown over the fence and whoever catches gets a point, I forget what happens if you drop it.

It is fun to watch them all making up their own games and rules.
The other day Alek and Maks were playing this game but throwing the ball over the pavilion roof. It was fun until Alek tripped and almost cracked his head, so we promptly moved that activity to the grass!
Yes, it is truly a boys life here, stop over for some dirty, buggy fun!