Damage Report

Brandon and I have always enjoyed a good thunderstorm.  Gavin, not so much.  The last severe storm we had resulted in a tornado warning and a trip to the basement with Gavin throwing up because he was so anxious.  It hadn’t rained here in weeks.  The grass is dead and the vegetation around here looks like what you would expect to see in late August after a hot summer.  Yesterday we finally had some much needed rain.  It poured down from the sky.  Unfortunately it wasn’t just rain, it was a thrashing storm.  Central Ohio took a beating and it sounds like many areas across the country did as well. 

Remember these beauties?  I love these trees.  They provide us with a shady spot in our very sunny back yard.  It’s a great place to set up the kid’s pool in the summer.  The flowers are beautiful when they bloom in the Spring. 

Our trio is now a duo split right down the middle.  We never heard a  crack and we didn’t see that the tree was down until I looked out and noticed the one on the left was bending over.  I said to Brandon that the trees were blowing over and that’s when I noticed the one had snapped.

The tree narrowly missed the neighbor’s air conditioner.  Dodged a major expense there!  Thankfully it took out the fence in the middle of a section so we’ll be able to repair that section without too much trouble. 

There are a few boards popped off along the fence by the other two trees which will need nailed back on. 

The kids had to come survey the damage as well.

Twice during the storm we had to go out and retrieve the grill which was sliding across the deck.  Our patio table shifted about two feet to the east and a couple of the chairs were knocked over.

 

Now we need to locate a chainsaw and come up with some time to get the tree cut up and out of the neighbor’s yard.  Being that we don’t work traditional hours and are rarely home together, especially on weekends when we don’t see each other at all, we’re going to have to get creative with time.  Our neighbors were very kind about it and said they know we’ll take care of it as quickly as possible and not to worry because no damage was done to anything on their side of the fence.  Still, who doesn’t want to get broken things fixed and back to normal in a hurry?

I hope everyone else survived the storms without too much damage!  Considering the damage some people sustained around here, our downed tree and broken fence is no big deal.  We were lucky.

Happy Birthday!

Part 1

We had some big birthday bash activity last week.  Gavin is one lucky boy!  First, he had a birthday party with his friends at Recreations Outlet. 

Recreations Outlet is a great place full of playground equipment for sale.  The showroom floor has several playsets set up.  The Mega was on sale for a cool $18k! 

Abby had the most fun playing on the trampoline. 

After the kids played for a bit they were ready for snacks.

We took a group photo of the kids before cupcakes.  This is the silly face version. 

The picture of Gavin with his cupcake didn’t turn out but it’s the only one we’ve got. 

These are the cupcakes that I made for the party.  I made the toppers as well.  The ones I had planned were out of stock and back ordered until December so I had to get creative and come up with my own.

The kids all gathered around for the gift opening.  Gavin was so excited and the rest of the kids were pretty hyped up too.

I love how the boys are huddled together checking things out.

The party was very successful and I went to bed that night feeling very happy about how things went.  I knew that we’d pulled off a great kid’s party for our son and the stress of putting it together and worrying about who could make it and who couldn’t was over. 

Part 2

On Gavin’s actual birthday we had more fun activities planned. 

Before we left the house Gavin wanted to open one birthday gift.  

Gavin specifically requested to go to COSI for his birthday. 

The kids love that they can touch things and experiment.

Anyone for a canoe ride?  I don’t recommend going with these two.  They move all around the boat and you’ll end up tipping over.

Watching the two of them try to hula hoop was so funny it would be worth picking up a couple hula hoops to have some cheap home entertainment.

After checking out indoor exhibits we went outside to see the construction vehicles that were on display again this year.  Last year Abby was sitting in a stroller most of the time.  This year she was able to climb up and get into some of the equipment.

Gavin has so much fun pretending to use the equipment.

While they are growing up so fast, they’re still quite small compared to this gigantic truck!

Gavin was happy to operate the Bobcat again this year.

Abby had her first experience operating the Bobcat with daddy’s help.

Later in the afternoon Gavin was so excited to open his birthday gifts. 

Little sister received a few gifts of her own.  She has been after Gavin’s chameleon lately so we got her the chameleon from the movie Tangled.  His name is Pascal and it’s adorable to listen to her say his name.

The big birthday gift this year was a bicycle.  Gavin has been a little nervous about it but we left it upstairs for a few days and he would climb on and off of it.  It’s been over 90 degrees out so we haven’t gone out to ride it yet but hopefully this coming week with temps in the 80s we’ll be able to get him out on the new ride!

Abby took her new silverware into the office where the kitchen is and prepared a meal for Pascal.

She then fed Pascal.  This went on for quite some time and was adorable.

The birthday boy wanted to have dinner at his favorite restaurant, House of Japan.

After dinner Gavin was not interested in his birthday cake or any cupcakes from his party.  He said he was too tired.  So, shortly after we got home, the kids went to bed.  We saved the cake for the next day.

Part 3

Saturday we went to Grammy and Poppy’s house for family dinner and a celebration of Gavin’s birthday and Father’s day.

Once again, Gavin and Abby were thrilled to open gifts.

Any guesses on what it is Gavin is holding in his hand?  A whoopee cushion!!!  It’s been used around our house.  Frequently.  Thanks Aunt J and Uncle J!  Keep in mind that someday you too will have a child and Aunt L and Uncle B will be sure to return the favor! J

We went outside so Abby could blow bubbles (Check out all those cool bracelets from Grammy and Poppy!  She loves to accessorize.)…

…and Gavin could check out his new water gun.

I love this picture.  Abby adores Poppy and they were having fun with the bubbles. 

Gavin finally had his birthday cake.  Abby is zeroed in on “CAKE!” and already has some chocolate on her left hand. 

Gavin had a great week and by the end of it we were all celebrated out! 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Fire!

We’ve been enjoying this addition to our backyard lately.        

    

The kids have been enjoying the smores experience.

By the time they finished this round their chins were covered in marshmallow. 

Have you seen this part of The Sandlot?  It is not only funny but completely appropriate for this post. 

Dee-lish!!!  “Mom!  Can I have s’more???”  Get it?  You had to watch the video. 

 

Mocha knows where to hang out.  Of course she stays pretty close to the food.    

We’re looking forward to plenty more of these this season.  We enjoy watching the kids run around the yard while we relax in super comfy Adirondack chairs.  It’s a good way to get the last burst of energy out of the kids at night. 

We’ve been working on getting Gavin ready for Kindergarten with near daily activities and practice with handwriting.  Some days we can’t get it done but we try for most days of the week.  We’re also celebrating a birthday this week!  We can’t believe Gavin is five.  It seems like he was a little baby just yesterday. 

I hope everyone else is having a great start to their summer! 

Final Soccer Post

Part 1 – Written two weeks ago.

Gavin’s soccer pictures came back last weekend.  We bought the CD and it came with five images which included this faux magazine cover.  He looks so adorable!

This is most of Gavin’s soccer team.  A few of them and one of the coaches were missing on picture day. 

Finally we had a warm day and it wasn’t raining!

Gavin will run with the group and go towards the ball but when it comes to really getting in there and getting the ball away from the other team he is timid and will back off.  He doesn’t need to throw elbows but he needs to get a bit more aggressive.

“Hey look!  There goes the ball!”

Now the game has turned into social hour.  Gavin and Lucas were slapping each other for some reason.  The two of them are constantly goofing off together.

While he did get in there and kick the ball a few times last week, he needed it to go in the right direction.  Unfortunately he wanted to keep the ball going in the direction it was already in and not turn it around toward their own goal.  We ask him about what he should do or what the goal (no pun intended) of soccer is and he can verbalize it but he just doesn’t have the confidence to put it into action.  Hopefully soccer camp will help him to understand the game better and build confidence. 

******               

Part 2 – Written June 1, 2012

Gavin’s last soccer game!

Gavin started off with the usual practice.

I had some poor timing on this picture but I still love the smile on his face, how he’s running in midstride, and the ball is in motion.

“Kick the ball to me!”

It was very hot during this game.  The kids took frequent water breaks.

At the end of the game the coach handed out plaques. 

They also took one last team picture before having popsicles and a cookie cake.

Gav had a great soccer season and is looking forward to soccer camp in July!