End of August

So it has been so long since I put these pictures on here and thought about them that I'm not even sure what I intended to say. This was another library storytime. They were celebrating the end of the summer with books about summer and school starting. Then they gave the kids ice cream and sprinkles. Not bad.
Yay, for cold ice cream!

On August 20th, we tried to go to Loyal Oak Lake again but in the late afternoon to have a cookout as well. Rain and thunder closed the lake so we headed back to our house with Anna and her kids for an impromptu kiddie pool swim and hot dog grill.

The kids seem to get over the disappointment pretty well.

Cody was gone off and on a lot toward the end of August in NYC so one night I took the kids over to Becky's for dinner, bath and movie. Remarkably all the kids are somewhat modest in this shot.

Becky, Pepper, Abby and Ben clean and waiting for the movie to begin.

Enjoying an end of summer day at Hardesty Park with some snacks.

Morgan, Lord of the jungle gym.

The second to last playgroup in August we went berry picking at Rittman Orchards. It was a gloomy, somewhat cool day so I was very worried. It turned out to be the perfect weather and we all had a fabulous time!

The kids LOVED rasberry picking. It was nice and grassy, the bushes were low and easy to pick from and the berries were super delicious. Pepper noticing that the few berries that made it into her bucket had been once again eaten.

Sweet Ava was doing a better job of filling up her bucket and not just her face.

Pepper just gave up on the pretense of her bucket, I think Jack was running around with it on his head anyway, and concentrated on stuffing her face.

Super berry pickers!

Next we picked blackberries but this was not as kid friendly. The bushes were really big and had huge thorns. Plus the blackberries are tart and not to everyones liking. Luckily, there were more red rasberry bushes right next to these so the kids were entertained.

After successful berry picking and ice cream eating, the kids were very happy to run and climb around outside the main barn. Such a cute place. I totally reccomend to anyone in the area!

I finally got around to joining the West Akron Moms Club and have been having a good time meeting more moms and kids for my kids to play with. Also, they give me lots of great ideas for my own playgroup. One of the moms hosted an end of summer water party and picnic in her backyard.

It was a very lovely day.

On Saturday morning of the 27th, we made our second attempt at Loyal Oak Lake and this time we were very successful. Anna and her kids joined us again and this time sunny, watery fun was had by all.

Morgan loves his mask.

Pepper loves this slide.

We never could get Morgan to go down it but Dominic and Natalie gave it a go. That was a pretty big feat for Dominic, especially letting Cody catch him.

Here's a little video of the lake:

That night our Relief Society had their annual "Girls Night Out." We went down to one of the sister's houses that lives near a lake and has a boat. We also brought lots of yummy food and had a grand ole time.

The scenery and the great conversations were by far my favorite parts...oh wait the food was pretty great too!

Ali securing the boat while we all gave her a hard time about falling in the water. It was such a great night and I was very grateful for Cody who stayed home with not only our kids but Becky's as well after being in NYC all week and getting home late Friday.

It was the perfect way to end the summer!

Pepper's Big Beast Little Gym Showcase

Every Monday morning this summer we have headed to the Little Gym for Pepper to participate in her first official class. We had enough membership points to get the summer semester free. Pepper had an absolute blast and loved every second of it. We are not going to continue there because it is too far away with Morgan being in preschool every morning and the new baby's arrival. I will have to find something closer because Pepper LOVED it all and was very good at everything. She's a natural.

Here she was trying to do a crab crawl in her big frilly princess skirt she insisted on wearing.
Helping everyone with the parachute. She was always good at staying with the group and doing what the teacher asked. Her attention span is much better than Morgan's was at this age.

Exploring on her own.

Another monkey in the family.

Despite the look on her face in this picture, Pepper loved the balance beam. Again, much different than Morgan who took a long time to warm up to it.

Here she is showing off her skills on the lower beam all by herself.

Such a daredevil in pink.

She was so excited to get her first medal.

Morgan has all his medals hanging in his room so she was happy to now have one of her own.

Here are some videos of Pepper's last day and all of her skills:

Making the Most of August

So this will be yet another random updating of things we've been up to the last two weeks or so. Last Wednesday night Cody and I went to a movie premier, One Fall, that was partially backed by Richard Smucker. It was a fun night of getting dressed up, getting our picture taken on the red carpet and watching a free movie with free popcorn.

I have been nesting with the other two kids' rooms. I'm not sure if that is still considered nesting but I'd like to have their rooms "done" before the next one arrives and I never get anything done. So here is the latest with Pepper's room. I made the curtains and if you don't look to close they're pretty perfect.
I made these letter boards shortly after Pepper was born. It only took me over two years to complete this project. Let's hope it is not a trend.

We got these shelves, pink baskets, chair and ladybug lamp at Ikea at the beginning of the summer. I love, love, love them!

Another view of the curtains. I will eventually replace the plastic shelves with somthing a little nicer but they work for now. I must admit, I really love decorating this room. Poor Morgan keeps wondering when I'm going to get more stuff for his room. Boys are just harder to decorate for I think...or maybe it's just that my brain works in pink.

During the summer every Thursday morning we have headed to the main library in Akron for their fabulous storytime. I wanted to make sure we had at least one educational weekly scheduled activity and this one has been perfect. Two weeks ago it was a music theme and the kids were given instruments and had a little parade.

Last week was a dance theme. Pepper and Morgan really enjoyed both weeks. So fun.

Two Fridays ago we headed out to Loyal Oak Lake with the Smedleys for a morning of swimming and playing. It was a perfect day and not too hot but enough sun to offset the slightly chilly water.

There was a slide in the water that Pepper must have gone up and down a couple dozen times. Such a water baby.

This last Friday, Aug. 12th, was Family Day/Open House at Smuckers. After naptime, we drove out to meet Daddy at work and have a fun outdoor dinner.

There were a lot of tiny flies, which did not make the meal super fun with bug-aphobic Pepper but we were all just excited to be with Daddy.

We got to tour the buildings and see a lot of the new construction. We also got to take a tour of the original Smucker family home that sits at the front of the property. It was really fun to see but it was a little crowded and full of antiques. Not fun with two curious little kids running about. Luckily, Pepper wore her squeaky shoes so she was easier to keep track of. Here's a shot of the dining room. In the back there is a picture of Tim and Richard Smucker as children, just like in the commercials.

Saturday, the 13th, we headed back out to Orrville to go to the train show and rib fest. We did this last year without Cody so we were excited to go again this year with him.

That is the old train depot behind them, which is now the railroad museum.

Despite their faces, both kids said this was their favorite ride.

Next we went on the big train for a very slow, yet air-conditioned, trip. The kids were a getting a little tired and hungry but once it started moving they had fun. The trip was made a lot more fun by our new friends who just moved into our ward at the beginning of the summer. Krista, the mom, is due the very beginning of October. I'm only slightly jealous:)

Waiting in line for the track car rides. Pepper's feet just keep growing this summer and now she is into some of Morgan's hand-me-down shoes. Luckily, she doesn't seem to mind and just gets excited about new shoes.

Cody, Pepper and Morgan squished into the front of the track car.

I thought this was the best ride because these things really cruise down the tracks.

Anybody have any idea what this weird bean tree is? We changed Pepper's poopy diaper under it and I thought it looked like an alien tree.

And finally, one shot of Cody enjoying the rib fest. Unfortunately, by this point we were all tired, hot, cranky and it was nap time. So we didn't get to enjoy the live music and bouncy castles that were also there. Oh well, there's always next year!

I know for some of you the summer is already over but I am glad we still have a few more weeks left. This summer has flown by as has this pregnancy. I am already at 29 1/2 weeks. This little girl will be here before we know it!