{june in a nutshell}

Our June...in pictures!!

This sassy girl...she picked out her own bow (the biggest one in the closet), and proceeded to take over Jack's chore of putting away the silverware.

I was able to spend a couple of days in Michigan for a short girls' trip--we went shopping, ate yummy food, and talked forever.  It doesn't really matter what we do though--it's always so fun!  (We are missing Brook in this picture... :( )

Yes, Doughnuts for lunch. They pretty much thought I was the best mom ever.

I put Caroline in time out for one minute for saying something naughty (she learns too much from her older siblings), and I turned my head for just a few seconds. When I turned back around, she was no where to be seen, but she left her baby in her place!  Smarty pants!

Making cookies is just part of my life.  The kids love them, and with eight people in the house, we eat through them pretty fast.  

I refinished the piano, and added wood planks to the front.  I basically adore how it turned out!

Just another day at the grocery store...

Rick and I tried a new restaurant for date night a few weeks ago, and it was right on the water. The view was perfection!

 Sunday pictures are my favorite!  I usually make them stand in front of the church to snap a picture right before we come in.  They hate it, I love it.  I win.  :)

 We went canalside to check out a new park, and discovered this lovely boardwalk along Lake Erie that was right next to it. It was late by the time we got there, otherwise we would have stayed much longer.  Loved it!

We bought another trampoline, because we couldn't get to the one in storage.  We needed it in our backyard this summer, especially with not much space inside.  We made a cool sprinkler out of PVC pipe, and the kids love it on the trampoline as much as they do on the ground!

This is Kate and her cute teacher--she texted it to me from their field trip at the baseball game!

I was taking a picture of the four kids, because they ended up ALL matching--without me realizing it.  Miss Caroline decided she couldn't have a picture without her!

This cracked me up. It was Kate's school assignment to not talk for a whole night.  Guess how long that lasted...

I got really sick a couple of weeks ago, and I basically just laid on the couch while the three at home lived on Fudgesicles and cartoons.  It was rough.

Haircut time!  

Napping all afternoon, then snacking on fresh chocolate chip cookies...it's a hard life, being two!

All of my talks and lectures about not procrastinating have lost some steam...Ryan put off a MAJOR English paper that was 1/3 of his final grade and finished it in one night. It should have taken him 6-8 weeks, but he still pulled off a 97, and that was only for very minor infractions in his references! Smarty pants.

These two.  

One cup per kid per day.  I'm trying to cut down on the amount of cups we use this summer.  

Yes, that is a Slurpee. In the bathroom.  

I was working on a deadline, and these cute kids jumped in the couch pillows for awhile, then snuggled together to watch a show.  

I have no idea why she's making this face, but it cracks me up!  

Pool days are here again...

We all have our very own pool passes, including Caroline! It cracked me up to see her standing there on the "x", all by herself, looking up at the camera!

I love goggles pictures!!

I spent all day at the library last Saturday, and Rick smuggled me in some contraband...my favorite...cinnamon bears!

You can't see the other two, but four little cuties join me on the organ after the meeting is over every time I play.  They are fascinated by the fact that my feet can play music--and theirs too!

It was a VERY wiggly Sunday.  We decided to try and get out even more wiggles running around the gym before we got into the car to get home.  We should have done it before church started too.

This girl. We asked her what her name is, and she said "Coco".  It totally fits her.

Jenga...it can get pretty intense!

My BEAUTIFUL girls!!! 

I was taking some blog pictures the other day, and Caroline posed her milk bottle right on top of my floor drop--then told me it was going to say "cheese", and I should take a picture of it.  So I did.

How many Wade kids does it take to make cookies? ALL OF THEM!!!

Happy June---now on to July!!  

{spaulding lake fun}

Our good friends just moved to a new house in a neighborhood that has their own lake!!  It's such a fun place to go in the summer to swim and play on the beach, and it's just minutes from our house.  We went for the first time last week, and played all day, then headed back to their house for chips & salsa, watermelon, capture the flag, and lots of talking.  It was just one of those perfect summer days.

Henry ist such a FISH!  He stayed in the water for hours and hours, only coming out for a drink or to use the bathroom.  He just played and played and played, and loved diving under the water with his goggles on to see what was under the water.  The girls played on the beach, floated in the water, then played some more.  The boys played football, frisbee, built sand castles. Caroline tagged along with everyone at some point or another, and they all ate a lot!!

We are definitely looking forward to going back!

{last day of school surprise}

Several years ago, the very first day of school surprise water balloon fight happened--and it was awesome.  We always do something fun on the last day of school to celebrate, but that was definitely at the top of the list.  Since we can't do it every year (or it wouldn't be a surprise), I hadn't done it again since then, but I decided it was time!  I got together with a bunch of friends, and we pulled off a huge surprise that none of them saw coming...it was a blast!

We met at a large park, ate pizza, fruit, and veggies, then my friend Carolyn and I  (and Caroline tagged along too--she called the balloons "bubbles"!) headed off to a remote part of the park to set up.  We put out hundreds of water balloons in a big circle, texted our other friends that we were ready, and then laid in wait for them to come.

When they came around the corner, we let the balloons fly, and it didn't take them long to figure out what was going on, and run for the nearest bucket full of balloons.  It was so fun, and we were laughing so hard we could barely breathe.  The kids thought it was hysterical that they could get "the moms" all wet, and we thought it equally fun.

Too soon the balloons were gone, and after picking up all the pieces, we headed back to our picnic tables for popsicles and ice cream sandwiches.  It was two wonderful hours, and a perfect last day of school celebration!  We also met new friends, and spent time with friends we already knew---SO fun!

{strawberry picking}

Berry picking has been a summer tradition of ours for more than ten years, but this year we did something new--picked strawberries!! We've done lots of blueberries, raspberries, and even blackberries, but this was a first for us.

We are so lucky to live out in the country, and there is a berry farm just a couple of miles away.  It's a beautiful property, with great fruit for picking, and even barn full of animals for the kids to see.  We had a wonderful afternoon picking red, ripe berries, then watching the animals. We even met new friends and were able to talk to them while all of the kids played.

We just love it, and can't wait to come back later in the summer for blackberries and blueberries!!

{flag day}

Flag Day is a big deal at Clarence Center Elementary. They have a huge parade every year, and in addition to all of the fire trucks, police cars, and veterans, the whole school makes signs and marches.  After the parade, they meet on the front lawn of the school, below the bell tower, for a program--singing, a couple of student speakers, and more singing.  Even the superintendent and school board came out to support it.  It's a tradition that's more than 35 years strong! I love living in a community that shows so much support for the schools, even on a such a small-scale basis as an elementary school parade.  

Rick was able to take the day off, and that of course made it even more fun.  After the parade, we were able to check the girls out of school, and we capped of the day with Slurpees.

Can't really beat that!

{funny kid quotes and sayings}

I've been keeping track of some of the funny things my kids say, and I love reading back through them.  I'm always so glad I took the time to quickly write them down before I forget. I don't get all of them, but I love the ones I do have!


Henry: (he sees me me sewing) That's impressive. You should do it for your talent! (for FHE)

Jack: (looking at a really vivid sunset while driving) Are we going into another land?

Kate: Did you know cheese cleans your teeth? That's why I eat my Cheetos last.

Kate: Did you ever notice how it's easier to breathe when you're starving?

Jack: A boy is a dude, and a girl is a wife.

Henry: There is a bug quickly approaching.

Henry: You can see America from here! (On top of a hill, while driving)

Kalle (our friend):  "You can have just one hamburger, Henry".  Henry: "At a time?"


Here are also a few word pronunciations...I wish they would say them like this forever!


"amberlance" = ambulance (Henry)

"Chuck E. Cheezits" = Chuck E. Cheese (Jack & Henry)

"scaver" = scavenger, as in "scaver for food" (Jack & Henry)

Alvin and the "Chick"munks  (Jack & Henry)

{baseball season 1}

Jack and Henry were able to play baseball for the first time this year.  They only have soccer once a year in the fall, which is the boys' favorite, but baseball was fun option for the spring.  It turned out to be quite the family activity, because we spent every Friday night for almost two months at the baseball field--watching them play, eating a picnic dinner, and playing at the park. We are going to miss it!

They both did well, and learned a lot.  Henry sometimes had a hard time being still in the field, and he worked on not kicking the dirt or playing with rocks as an outfielder. He did hit well, and liked being up to bat. Jack learned to run really fast to the base without stopping. He really loves to catch the ball. They loved their mitts, playing catch, and going to their games. Oh, and the snacks.  :)

Overall, it was a great season, and even though it made for a very busy spring, both boys loved it.  That's a success in my book!  I'm proud of them both, and their hard work!  Way to go, boys!

We often went for ice cream after the game.  There's a little walk-up ice cream stand on the corner just about a half mile from our house, and we all love it.  It's such a popular spot, especially on game nights--which there are a lot of in this town--but we never mind the wait.  So yummy!!

{lost}

We intended to visit a specific hike, called Eternal Flame. We had heard a lot about it, and decided last weekend to go.  Well...after lots of loops, turning around, and stopping to look at maps, plus several unsuccessful GPS attempts (kept telling us the wrong thing) and the insight of a random stranger, we discovered the perfect little place for us to explore. It wasn't the hike we intended, but it turned out to be the best day!

{ballet recital #6}

This marks the sixth year Emma has had a ballet recital, and I love that it's just as exciting now as it ever has been, if not even more.  She loves it so much, and I love to watch her dance. It also makes her really nervous, so she's learning to conquer her fear as she performs in front of so many people.

She's learned a lot this year--the ballet company is very good, and her teacher is excellent.  It's been a fun year, and the recital is always the perfect way to end the year.  Rick was out of town until literally a couple of hours before the performance, and he showed up with flowers and it absolutely made the evening for Emma. She was so glad he was there!

She did a great job, and we can chalk up another successful ballet year!

Dress rehearsal...