Ready for summer!

With the weather being so great lately, we've been spending a lot of time outside. The kids love being outside and it's great to have a new yard for them to explore. The only hazard in our new backyard is a waterfall/fountain feature that Jacob calls the "pool". It's a great feature in the yard, but not when you have 4 kids, ages 4 and under! Not only is it a safety concern, it has become home to every ball, bat, frisbee, toy, etc that we own! The kids love to throw everything in there and it drives Jon and I crazy. Last weekend Jon went ahead and filled the pond with large rocks, but we were able to keep a little water in it to run the waterfall.

Last night I took the kids down to see cousin Olivia's t-ball game. It was a ton of fun! The kids did great. Jacob enjoyed playing with his cousin's Matty and Nathan, while the little kids got to run around free - something they never get to do! It was a bit terrifying for me, but once they understood the boundaries, they did good. Here's a photo of Megan before we left the house for the game:

After the game, we (me, my 4 kids, Heather, David and their 4 kids and mom and dad!) all went out to pizza. Again, a rare treat for us... to actually take the kids out to eat. Unfortunately, Jon was working, but Jacob told him all about it this morning. It's fun to take the kids out for new experiences. I'm always worried about how they'll do, but they continue to surprise me all the time! They actually behave pretty good! :o)

This afternoon, I filled up the kiddie pool. Here are a few cute photos from the day:

Jacob filling up the pool

Ryan

Dylan - "Cheese"

Cutie Megan

Everyone in the pool!

Tonight after dinner, the kids and I had a Madagascar 2 movie night. We got our jammies on and ate white cheddar Cheetos (a huge favorite in our house!). This was the first movie night with the little kids and they did pretty good. Dylan is a fabulous movie watcher, but Megan and Ryan only last about 15 minutes before they start goofing around. Overall, it was a fun day!

Getting settled

We're in our new house now... it's almost been 2 weeks. The kids are loving all the extra space and not having any furniture in 2 rooms gives them more running room. I'm not sure I like all the extra area that needs cleaning, but I'm lucky to have a husband who helps out with the household chores! It turns out our next door neighbors grew up in Santa Rosa and know some of Jon's extended family. Such a small world! They have 3 younger kids too, which is great. Jacob has already played with their little boy a few times. The worst part of the move has been Jon's commute and the extra time he's been gone. He used to come home for his dinner break, but now it's too far. I must admit, I was secretly excited that I didn't have to have dinner on the table by 5:30, but I miss it already. Jacob asks every night at dinner if daddy is coming home. But, the trade-off of having more space and living closer to family has been wonderful. We're looking forward to many summer days swimming at mom's and Heather's. Most of our boxes are unpacked... just a few random boxes that I think were still packed from when we moved to Folsom over 3 years ago!