Life as we know it...

...continues chugging along. At the beginning of the summer, I was really worried about how it was going to go. How were we going to pass the time? Would we kill each other at home too much? Should I buy passes to the local attractions? Turns out, my indecision has put off the purchase and we've been doing just fine. In fact, I'm not sure where the last couple months have gone. We've played at parks, gone to a movie, played in the mall, gone swimming, played in the backyard and generally been having a good old time. Lucky for us, we have some really great people around and we enjoy all of their company ;). Here are some random pictures for your enjoyment.

The other night, Julianne was in the tub alone (this never happens, we make them bath at the same time or one after the other so we don't have to fill the tub over and over). She had bubbles and was building nests for her rubber duckies. It was cracking me up. I have no idea where she came up with it, but she did it over and over.

When she saw that I had the camera out she said, "Take a picture of my hands, mom!". Who couldn't oblige with a face like that? Last night, I bought her her first suitcase and when she saw it this morning, she was pretty excited. It has Mickey Mouse on it and I asked her if she liked it. She said, "Yeah, mom! It's cool!!". Who knew my 2-year-old would be telling me stuff is cool? The other day she said, "Can we listen to 'Make a Man out of You' on your I-pod?" (From Mulan). Seriously? Crazy kid. We love her to death :).

We had a fun fourth. We got to spend the whole thing together as a family. Unfortunately, I forgot the camera when we went to the parade in the morning, but then we did a little shopping and used the last of our sparklers.


All the kids really liked this. I tried to buy more the next day and couldn't find a single one! I was so surprised! Not one box of fireworks was to be found! Craziness!
Once it was finally late enough, we went to the fireworks. They were awesome, but we were totally sitting in the wrong place. There was a house in the way so we could only see part of them. Then we left early so we could beat the crowd. It was still nearly 11 by the time we got the kids all tucked in. It was a good day, though. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
We're starting to look forward to school. I've been thinking about all the stuff I need to buy and it's freaking me out a little bit. We got Mason all signed up for Preschool and I am stoked! I didn't send Brooklyn to preschool and I don't think he really needs it academically, but socially I think it will be awesome for him. It's at the elementary that Brooklyn will be at and it's covered by the school district (double bonus!). So, since they're both going, they'll need school clothes and new backpacks (Brooklyn's didn't even make it through the whole year last year). Brooklyn says she wants a Star Wars backpack; surprise, surprise...she is OBSESSED! We spend much of every single day discussing the finer points of Star Wars. (Oh, Mollerups, if only you lived closer so she and Erik could talk it out to their hearts' content, and I wouldn't have to...) Mason is undecided. He said something about Transformers, but if Brooklyn is talking about Star Wars, so is he. Honestly, though, he's not as into it as she is! We'll see. It will be a busy couple months and then just me and Julianne for a few hours everyday... And even then, it's during her nap time (Yes, she still naps! I'm not really sure where she came from! The other two were done long before now!!), and I'm not sure what I will do with myself! :). Happy Summer, everyone and I hope yours is going as well :)