10.24.2011

What a Summer we had!



It's so hard to believe that it has really been 4 months since I last posted. I think that is a record long "blogging break" for me. With a new baby in our family my world was rocked and I definitely had to do some readjusting and tweaking to my life. There are 43 photos. It took HOURS for them to all upload onto blogger. Instead of doing a few posts at a time I decided just to bust them all out at once and do a quick  blurb for memory sake!

We spent many hours at various parks! Erie's weather in the Summer is incredible. The kids played outside all day almost everyday. Thank goodness for great neighbors that the kids could play with.
I started Lucy on baby cereal when she was about 4 1/2 months old...and she didn't really dig it! I have tried about once every two weeks to see if she has changed her mind but she just doesn't like it! Today I am going to try vegetables for the first time and see how she likes it! Hopefully she will!
In August John officially became Dr. John Clark Hecker and we had a surprise celebration for him when he came home from work. We had decorated the house and made some very yummy food!
I just love moments like these. Kids were clean and in jammies and ALL of them sat quietly at once to listen to John's reading. I'm really bad at remembering to take pictures so I'm glad to have taken this one.
Our Zoo is great!!! We have enjoyed many hours there. On this particular day, John was able to come with us which made it extra fun!!!
We didn't go to the beach on Lake Erie as much as my kids would have liked but we made it a few times. It was really hard to go with Lucy and all of the stuff that you have to lug down to the water. I'd load the kids up with this or that and we'd trek the couple of hundred yards to the water but whenever it was time to leave they were much more reluctant to help. Sound familiar anyone???


Meet Jandi. She's amazing! She has really been a huge part of my life this last year and I am so grateful for her friendship. Our families went camping together and we had an awesome time. This was my kids first camping trip and for the month before we went they would whine and complain that they didn't want to go because of bugs. BUT they had so much fun and the bugs weren't even a big deal. There were a TON of daddy long legs (which we could have done without) but no mosquitoes at all!! I loved our campsite. It was so quiet and beautiful.


Lucy likes to be held...a lot. So I felt like I was holding her the whole time and it was hard to take care of my family. Silly girl! Jandi seriously stepped in and did a lot!!!
We potty trained Talon a few weeks before this trip and we were kind of worried that he would have a hard time a way from our home, but he did great. We brought his potty and he used it A LOT!!!

There was a fun river right by our campsite for tubing and canoeing. We couldn't do those things with a new baby so we let the kids play in the water for a bit.
We also went fishing. The kids thought that was SO cool. Talon had earned his very own fishing pole for potty training so he was extra excited to have a chance to use it!
These two have been the best of friends (our neighbor Lincoln and Isabella). Love it!!
John had the great idea of me taking Hailey out for a fun evening with just the two of us before she started school. I let her choose what we do and she wanted to go to a restaurant. So we went to T.G.I.F Fridays and we ordered a few things and shared them. It was so fun and so special to both of us.
Dancing and singing together!

Yummy dessert!!
We have a small amusement park here called Waldameer. We went on a perfect day...the weather was gorgeous.


I'm pretty sure that's Isabella and I in the front!! Hailey went on the BIG roller coasters with me...like the really scary ones. She did awesome!!

Hailey started 2nd grade. We still LOVE her school and her teacher is awesome. She has found some good friends and is really fitting in well. She is an awesome reader and learning so much.


Isabella had her tonsils out. She had a sleep study done this summer and the test results were that she had severe sleep apnea and was waking up 16 times because she was not breathing. I felt so sad for her!!! She was a trooper through the surgery, but hated taking her medicine. That was by far the worst part.
Her recovery!
Talon had all the same symptoms as Isabella so he was next...2 weeks after Isabella. The ENT told John after they took his tonsils out that they were pretty bad so I am really glad that we did it.
Talon's recovery took a little bit longer than Isabella's and EVERY time that he had to take his medicine it was a battle. Oh it was exhausting. Just thinking about it makes me cringe!!!
Isabella started preschool...and she loves it. Her little buddy Lincoln is in her class and I think that has helped her a ton! We carpool which is the best thing ever!
Talon turned 3! This was the first birthday party that we have had since we moved to Erie...FINALLY NOT PREGNANT ANYMORE AND COULD HANDLE IT! It was fun to do! It was a Super Hero Party. John is Zorro!! Talon was Spider Man, and Hailey Spider Woman.
The food is always the best part to me...ALWAYS.



We decided to do it outside but it was SOOOOO STINKIN' HOT that day.
Lucy is Cheetah girl.
Isabella as Super Woman

John dressed up as the bad guy for a small event and the kids were all given silly string to catch him with their "webs"!
Then they had target practice and got their goodie bags after they shot a balloon.
Talon had a great time and loved his gifts...he walked around with them for days!!!