Father's Day 2013

We headed to Santa's Village in East Dundee, IL on Father's Day!  I didn't even realize it had re-opened until Wally came across it on the internet earlier in the week.  It was his day and that is what he wanted to do so off we went!



Just as we came through the entrance we ran into Santa himself.  As was the case 6 months ago, Paige was not a fan!



However, she didn't mind the Snow Princess.  (Which is good to know since Disney is just 6 months away!)



Luke was such a good big brother and held hands with Paige to take her on her first ride!





She was all about the rides after that (although you would never be able to tell from her face)!



We rode ponies!











We saw funny looking llamas!



We pet some sheep - well, Luke did. Paige wasn't a fan.





We took a ride to see some real reindeer!





We rode on a firetruck and put out a fire!



And then rode more rides!









Luke and I are in the 3rd car from the front!



All 4 of us were able to go on this ride together!



Luke loved it!







Patiently waiting their turn!





Santa's Village is a great place for young kids.  All of the rides were perfect for Luke and Paige and there were some animals to see too! 

Pool Nights

We have been in the pool 3 times this year and all have been evening swims. 



These kids are in love with the water this year!



Luke finally became comfortable last summer and thankfully he didn't forget how much he loves it.



And Paige, well, she just has the biggest smile on her face when she is in the water.  She is constantly giggling!





And she is fearless, which is both a good thing and completely terrifying for me.  The first night we went in, she laid on her belly and slid herself in off of the side of the pool.  Thankfully she had a swim vest on and Daddy was right there.  We now have the steps in so she can use those, but I think she would jump right off of the edge every time.









The first two swims were with Daddy.  I'm not a huge fan of evening swims.  After I get home from work, really the last thing I feel like doing is getting wet.











I did finally get in last night though.  And the water was chilly!  I sucked it up to splash around with the kids for a bit!

(Miss Paige was too busy to turn around!)




You can't really beat a little sun, a little water, and lots of fun!

Two of the Best!

Happy Father's Day this weekend to all of the dads out there, but especially to my Dad and Wally!

The best dad I could have ever asked for!



The best dad my kids could have ever asked for!

End of the School Year

So school has been out for Luke for nearly a month so I figured it is about time to update on all of the end of year school activities and to see just how much Luke has grown in the last year!

The last prayer service of the year was the May Crowning. 



I only had my phone with me so the picture quality is terrible but we were able to get a picture of his whole class with the teachers, principal, and Father Greg!



Luke had a big hug "goodbye" for Paigey.



On the morning of Luke's last official day in the classroom, I didn't really realize that this was his last day until we were in the car in line for drop off.  I snapped a quick phone picture of him and reminded myself to bring my camera with when I picked him up!  I wish I would have remembered to get a picture at home on the front porch, but such is a mom's life!



When I picked him up, most of the moms were there to give our gift to the teachers.  Luke was so lucky to have such wonderful teachers this year.  He will certainly miss Miss Sandy and Miss Amy next year, but he will see them as he walks by their classroom to the 4-year old room!





These two are buds! Jackson kept asking me to take his picture :)



The very last day of school was Picnic Day at Camp Manitoqua!  To say the kids had a good time would be a huge understatement. 















One of the mom's brought some streamer for the kids to run through as they "finished" 3-year old preschool!







Luke and I ended the day with a celebratory Target slushie!



And here are some "last day of school" pictures! (I did not ask him to pose like this - ha!)





Luke really loved school.  There was not one single day that he whined about having to go.  He always looked forward to it and really learned a lot.  It is so fun to look through the gigantic ziplock bag full of all of his projects throughout the year and see the improvement he made in coloring, cutting, and writing.  They made an "All About Me" book at the end of the year that was adorable and will be so fun to look back on in future years! 

What a difference a school year makes!