Kindergarten!!

Though it still seems a bit surreal, Lily started school today. My baby is a big girl now! She even decided this morning that she didn't need her blankies anymore...she thought Riley should have them since he's a baby and she's not.
How cute is that!

She sat right down and started playing with the other kids. And, she's excited to go back tomorrow.
Here she is with her teacher Mrs. Ott, saying goodbye. I was really impressed by the pictures she brought home today and I can't wait to start a collection.

Now, I just have to get used to having one child for a 3 hour stretch during the day. How exciting :)

Tiffany vs. the Shed...

This was our shed before I went at it yesterday with a sledge hammer and crowbar. We've been wanting to remove the shed since we moved in 2 years ago, but haven't gotten around to it...along with lots of other things. So, since we need it gone to get to the trees that are behind it, I decided to take matters into my own hands and rip into it. There is video of me wielding the tools of destruction, but I'm too embarrassed to post it :)And here we are halfway done.
Ta-da! All done. Now I just have to figure out what to do with the pile of debris, but that's for another day... It does make me happy though that we have a nice large double gate to make the removal process easier. Next thing is tackling the volunteer trees that were growing behind the shed, and pushing on the fence. And of course the weeds, and maybe the 7 pallets of cinder blocks in the backyard. Yikes, we're gonna be busy!
In case you're wondering, I didn't do all of the manual labor by myself. Dylan did help a little :) But, I ain't afraid to get dirty or wield a sledge hammer...

Here comes trouble...

I think I'm going to start calling Riley "Trouble". He loves to play with the cupboard doors. There's just something about the banging he can accomplish :0) I turned around from doing the dishes and saw him pulling stuff out of the cupboard...He was so proud of himself. It wasn't a big deal until he found a package of noodles that was opened. Thankfully Mommy swooped them up before he could dump them out.
Unfortunately I didn't think of the Cheerios. And, when I walked out to do something for a second, this happened. I guess he was really hungry...

My little Artist...

Lily LOVES to paint! This is her latest creation. We went to the Art & Wine Festival last weekend and they had lots of creative things for the kids. The aftermath from this was a little messy, but she had a blast flinging paint.

Who did that?

Seriously, which of my children put bath toys in the toilet? When grilling Lily I just got a, "Not me Mommy". I have a feeling it was Riley, but no concrete proof. Maybe it was the gnomes? I really try to stay on top of things around here, but I guess I better step it up a notch... Darn gnomes!!

Camping...

So, we had our first camping experience as a family. And while it didn't go quite as well as I hoped, we still had a nice time.

One of the best things about camping, I think, is the campfire. Here we are hanging out the second morning. Drinking our coffee or hot cocoa, enjoying waking up in the fresh air.

The kids had a good time spending time with each other, playing and experiencing new things. Lily and Dylan roasted marshmallows for breakfast. Okay, Dylan ate them and Lily helped hold the stick...We all know that Lily won't hardly touch sweets :)
Dylan in his shorts and coat...what a goof. Riley got a kick out of wearing socks too. It was quite humorous seeing him examine his feet trying to figure out what was on them.
Digging in the dirt was a favorite past time. Boy oh boy did these girls get DIRTY! Oh well, we were camping :)

We went and visited the fish hatchery also. That was very cool. They had an albino Rainbow Trout which was interesting. Fun times to be had. I'm looking forward to the next time camping when Riley is bigger and not in the clingy stage...