Weekend fun

This weekend we had record breaking temperatures.  I've heard the heat index was over 110.  It was 100 degrees in the shade at our house in the afternoon.  So what did we do?  We went blueberry picking. We went earliery in the morning but were all still dripping with sweat after we were done. I think everyone ate their weight in blueberries.  They were so good.  We were only there an hour but were dripping with sweat and so hot so we left. 

It was a fun morning.  The kids loved it and didn't seem to mind being in the sweaty outside (as Colin says)  Then we came home and spent 4 hours to take down a broken ceiling fan and install another one.   But for those who are good at electricity - our old light/ceiling fan was on two switches - one for the fan and one for the light.  now its on 1 switch.  Not a big deal but how can we get it back to 2 in case i just need to turn on the light in the room?  there was one extra red wire that we just capped that might be able to connect with the blue/black wires?  maybe?  We haven't thought too much on it since it was up and worked. Then we went over to my grandparents house for dinner. my uncle made ribs.  It was the first time my parents or I had eaten ribs since a family vacation year and years ago. Before Mary was born.  I think we need to eat some more often.  They were very good. Joel ate my moms whole piece of blueberry pie and then finished off Colin's ice cream.

Then on Sunday we went to a park with our friends Sarah and Brian and Colin and I got to do this:

It was so fun. Brian and Sarah own kayaks and Brent and I would love to get some. We went kayaking years ago in NH and since then have always talked about getting them.  And now the discussion has continued :)  It would be so much fun around here with all the water.  Colin loved it and keeps asking to go again.  The only thing would be to figure out what to do with Joel if we got them now since we'd all want to go out together... so we're talking about it more.  We grilled out and then played Frisbee golf - all in the heat.  I think we were all very grateful for our air conditioned cars when we were done. 

Thank you Sarah and Brian for braving the heat and taking us out on your kayaks and for a yummy dinner. Lets do it again - only on a not so hot day :)

Lawnmowers

Ever since Joel got his lawnmower for his birthday we couldn't wait to get all the boys together to mow the lawn.  Well it was more me excited to get pictures of Daddy cutting the grass with his little look-a-likes following behind him.  Colin has always loved it and will follow Brent all over the yard (which our neighbors love to watch) Joel loves his lawnmower and we thought it would be a fun.  But it wasn't  - not at first.

Colin was upset his lawnmower didn't have a string on it to pull like Joels. Joel went over to trade but then Colin realized his was much taller so he kept his lawnmower and was smiles again.

It took a while for Joel to warm up to the real lawnmower. He wasn't sure about it at first. I think he's been napping the past few months when Brent and Colin go out to cut the grass.  Then he slowly got the idea. 

Joel thought he should go get the spots they missed.  Colin can't figure out why Joel wouldnt follow after him :)

Halfway though Joel sat down and complained about how big our yard was.

He watched Brent and Colin with this look on his face for a while.  "You mean its actually fun to keep going in this heat?"  (mommy doesn't blame him)

But he got a second wind and realized all the cool things his lawnmower can do.

Colin takes his job very seriously.

He loves it - but he has finally realized his doesn't really cut grass and needs a lawnmower with REAL blades - just like Daddy's. But he still has fun pretending.

All in all not a bad evening.  I think I had the most fun watching it. And I think Joel will begin to love it like Colin.

This was his face towards the end.  Love it!

Weekend away

This past weekend we got away and met our friends Pete and Ashleigh and their kids in Williamsburg. They have a timeshare and we were their invited guests to come for a free weekend if we listened to their whole timeshare talk.  We love Pete and Ashleigh and a free weekend away is always nice so we were excited to go.  And we didn't get the whole talk at all. Showed up for our meeting and somehow they thought it was an account update for Pete and Ash so we got off the hook :) A free weekend for nothing!

 It was so relaxing to get away and hang out with great friends. Colin and Susanna were joined at the hip for most of it and spent one day entirely in the pool.  Colin got braver with putting his face in the water and Susanna learned how to swim in a matter of two days. 

It was almost too hot to do anything but swim in the pool.  But we did get a round of putt putt in one day.

Giving 4 small children a putter and a ball and telling them to hit it in the hole is very comical.  Susanna was the oldest and did the best.  Colin just shoved the ball in however he could as fast as he could.  Sammy just kept using his putter as an axe and then dropping the ball in the hole and then Joel loved finding everyone's balls and picking them up and dropping it in the hole.  I wish I had video taped it. It still makes me laugh just thinking about it.

We ate dinner at Captain Georges and then discovered the Yankee Candle Factory store.  Amazing.  And huge.  We did go to Colonial Williamsburg but with the heat everyone was ready to leave.  The kids played some colonial game and then we ate lunch and went back to the hotel.

 Why does Colin look so old here?   I'm ready for his curls to grow back :) 

Joel really wanted to play too and kept pointing.

And finally got his turn with the hoop.

 Joel has started sleeping better since we put him in the stocks... shouldve taken him here months ago :)

Colin's favorite part was going "hiking" on the earthworks at the hotel.  We didnt know for a few days they were earth works but he would pick up sticks and pretend to cannon the bad guys.  He and susanna even took their leis they got at the luau we went to and made sure they 'crossed' (a very important part) so they could be soldiers and would go hiking.  haha so cute but the funniest part was one morning Colin was on the bed and brent looked over and Colin's hand were folded together like he was praying. When Brent asked what he was doing Colin replied that he prayed "Lord please let me grow up to be a cannon guy so I can shoot bad guys." 

There were lots of hugs and kisses given. Isn't Sammy just too cute? 

Our favorite part was hanging out in the hallway talking for hours late in the night after the kids went to bed.  Thanks Pete and Ashleigh for a great weekend. Can't wait to see you in August! 

Colin

I love this picture of Colin.  He doesn't ever look at the camera now so this is a rare thing.  My handsome boy. We love you Colin boy

Julianna

 

http://vogt4julianna.blogspot.com/

I wanted to title this baby girl but I thought some people might just read the title and think we were having a baby girl.  Colin did tell me the other day that it was time for me to have another baby and this time make sure its a girl so mommy can have someone to play with.  ha! but this is not our baby girl but some dear friends who are adopting. Uncle Re-Re is going to be a big brother again. His parents are adopting another baby girl and will be leaving in a week to go pick her up.  If you'd like to contribute to bringing this sweet girl home or just want to watch their journey to China click on the link above.  We're very excited.  Julianna is 2 months older than Joel.  Children are such a blessing and a joy.  And for all the family members at our wedding - hasn't Johanna grown so much?    she was one of the flower girls. Makes me feel old :)

Its finally done

I think I can say its finally done.  We may have a few more screws to put in and want to put door handles on the gates to make it easier to open but as far as I'm concerned we are finished!  It took a lot longer than we thougth and the next big house project we do Brent is going to take a few days off work in the beginning.  Thanks to everyone who helped.  Our friends moved during the middle of it who helped so much in the beginning.  Anthony - you taught us well and wish you could see the finished result.

The past few weeks we've worked on it a little at a time after putting Joel to bed.  Colin has gotten into being a construction guy and his favorite thing to watch on tv right now is hgtv or diy network.  He has his own orange cones and he places them around his construction site.  He even has the left over wood scraps and used them to build road, sky scrapers, houses in the back yard.  Colin even keeps all his tools in the back of daddy's truck since worker tools go in trucks.  And he will yell to anyone walking by our house "us constructions guys in this family!"  Colin loves when its "fence day" and we work on the fence.  Brent and I have been ready to be done for weeks now but I think Colin could go all summer building the fence. Colin has been a huge help this whole time.

Joel even got into the action and helped build the gates.

We just have to take a truck load of wood back to the store and will be able to sit back and relax in our newly fenced in yard.

Little one is a little upset that he can't go through the gate he worked so hard to build.  Which is why I wanted the latch at the top of the gate.  But then I came out tonight to see the new super cool trick Colin wanted to show me and he climbed up the fence and opened the latch.  His response was "Daddy taught me!" Mommy wasn't too happy with Daddy at that point (and still isn't too happy about this trick). But Brent worked hard on the fence and he did a great job.  I'm enjoying having our yard fenced in and can't wait to start landscaping next to the fence.