End of summer happenings

The kids are very interested in & excited about hot air balloons.  We often see some over our house, not sure who or why, but we do.  Livi wants to get bigger so she can ride in one!  They get so excited when we drive to Grandma & Grandpa Siebert's house & pass York & see the water tower painted like a hot air balloon!  So last weekend we decided we would check out the Nebraska Balloon & Wine Festival.  Sounded like a perfect combination.  We had NO idea what we were really in for!  

Jeff had a bachelor party, & Molly had other plans, so Grandma GG & I took the 4 kids.  Thank God there was wine!

 Kids under 5 got in free.  Our admission ticket bought us 5 wine samplings.  But there was SO much stuff.  Dozens & dozens of wine booths.  A special VIP wine sampling tent.  Food stands.  {Expensive}bounce houses.  A band.  The whole field was like standing room only.  It was 100x fuller than the zoo.  Next year we'll go & leave the kids at home.  If there wasn't dozens & dozens of other kids & babies there, I would have felt awkward.  But there were tons of kids.

We snuck in some food for the kids & tried to keep them occupied, but once the balloons started going up, they were all about it!  We had found a lone shady spot, back behind a shop kind of in an awkward place & it ended up being an AWESOME seat!  

Analeigh likes to plug her ears in "strange" environments.  I promise, it was not loud.  Silly girl.

The 1st balloon is almost up!!

 1st of probably 8 hot air balloons we watched lift off!

We thought these were pretty close...

 ... then they put this one out.  It was RIGHT there!  This picture is not zoomed in at all.

 Awesome!!!

 Logan was getting tired already at this point.  In truth, it was probably bedtime already.

 Then we did a little shopping while we waited for the balloons to come back.  Yes, come back.  They blow them up again (actually I think it was different balloons, but probably the same basket setup & people) in the dark for a "balloon glow."  So cool.  Since we cheapskated our way out of bounce houses & felt obligated to buy the kids some $5 toy air balloons they were begging for in the stand we were sitting right behind.

Grandma GG & the kids watching the balloon glow.

 I think they lit up 6 or so balloons.  So pretty in the dark.

 When the red one was blowing up & the wind would blow, it was so close to us that the people 15 or so down could literally reach out & touch it.  

The next day we drove to Grandma & Grandpa Siebert's (& past the air balloon water tower) for their 65th Wedding Anniversary Party!

{Seriously my youngest brother Ethan, whom Logan is identical to, is a dead ringer for my Grandpa.  My bet is Logan will look quite a bit like this in 18 years.}

Lots of aunts, uncles, cousins.  Despite work schedules, travel & such, There were about 75% of us there.  That's a lot of people!  Lots of good food.  And lots of swimming.  I was too busy to take many pictures.  Glad we got in one last summer swim at the best pool.  Livi of course did the diving board & she & Hayden each did the big slide by themselves.  AND Logan willingly went down the big slide once.  :)  What a fun filled day.

There were like 18 great-grand kids from like 2nd grade-ish down & that's not even everyone!

Hula hoop fun!

 Pretty much sums the 4 of them up

Then Monday, Jeff's new students started.... summer is officially done.  :(

But, since the weather was perfect this past weekend, we made good on our promise to the kids of backyard camping this year.  Jeff has his heart set on taking the kids "real camping" someday soon.  I have my heart set on never doing more camping than in the air conditioned caboose.  This was a compromise.

 We didn't spend much time out there.  Had some snacks, read some books & slept.  But they thought it was fun.

 Handful of goldfish crackers.

 Besides my back hurting the next morning & Hayden asking Jeff to tuck his feet back in every 20 minutes all night long, it went well.  

Then Monday... the kids were off to experience life as not a multiple... but like a 'normal" kid.... each in their own class.  We've been talking this up for weeks & they had a big open house & met their teachers on Friday, so they were as ready as they possibly could be!

Their teachers said they did great.  We, er Jeff, drops them off together in the gym in the morning for about 30 minutes before they go to their classes.  Hayden was a bit tearful to go to his class, but they let Logan & Olivia walk him down to his classroom & then he decided to be brave.  For the most part, they all ate.  Hayden didn't eat breakfast, which shows me he was a little sad in the morning.  They all slept.  Olivia TALKED.  I don't think a ton, but talking on the 1st day--- that's amazing!  No accidents.  No day spent crying.  Logan wasn't phased one little bit, I knew he wouldn't be.  Logan & Olivia's classes went out to recess together, & it sounds like they pretty much said 'hi' then each went about their own business.  Hayden's class was coming in from recess as the other 2 were heading out & they all saw each other in the hall.  Met for a big group hug, chatted for a few minutes, then each went off with their own class with no issues or tears.  They pretty much rocked it!  I am just socked!  And proud!

I actually got staff adjusted & spent the day at home.  I was on call so I couldn't go get them early, just incase.  But Jeff & I both picked them up & treated them to their choice of McDonalds Happy Meals & Ice Cream Cones for a treat after their first day.  We sat there & listened to them talk about their day.  Logan played with the boy in the orange shirt- he didn't know his name.  Olivia played with Tyler.  KK is in Zane's class... and a slew of other "3 year old gossip fest" information.  It was hilarious!

Hopefully day 2 goes as well!

Today we enjoyed the morning weather for a walk, scooters & sidewalk chalk.  Later we might break out the sprinkler one more time, its supposed to be in the 90s!  A big change from the 60s it has been.

Hayden & Olivia drew portraits of their dad!

I had never seen them do such a thing.  Pretty awesome I think. Hayden's is pretty detailed with eyes, fingers, shoes & all.  Logan didn't want to, he was too busy scooter-ing.

And we practiced writing our names.

Logan does his with no help, fast as can be.  He wrote it from the bottom up.  His N is still capital & backwards most of the time.  He holds his pen/crayon just like me!   With the pencil propped on the ring finger vs the middle finger.  I did not teach him that.  He writes with his right hand, eats with both, throws right handed, but bats left handed.  They say they have until kindergarten to really decide on handedness.  But maybe he will just stay one who does his sports left handed?

Olivia I have to encourage to write her name in the right direction, she often does it backwards.  Starts with the O, just moves to the left vs the right.  Her white chalk is hard to see, but its all there.  She holds a pen/crayon so correctly she sometimes has a hard time writing dark enough with chalk or things that are so thick.  She does everything right handed.

And Hayden... he's going to get this yet!  Last night in the tub, I was having them write random letters on the wall with the bath crayons & I discovered Hayden can actually WRITE all the letters to his name.  I've seen him do H, A, Y & E, but I was actually quite surprised he could do d & N. But if I was to ask him to write his name, he would say he couldn't, & probably cry.  That concept is a bit too hard for him to put together yet.  But if I said, "Write an H here"  "Now write an A here" he can physically write his name with me doing nothing more than telling him which letters to write & where.  And he can spell his name now a days, so its coming.  He still switches up hands pretty regularly when it comes to eating & even writing.  He has yet to master the skill of correctly holding a pen/crayon, or really come close even.  Maybe once he gets that down it will help him decide on a hand.  He bats & throws right handed.

Can you see it??  Hayden's first name writing!

 Let me help you.  They are all capital letters, except the d.  There are actually 2 d attempts, & he wasn't super happy with either one, but I convinced him to move on.  The blue circle with the line up & also the green one that looks like a Q are ds.  His E has lots of "stripes."  And his N, like Logan's is backwards & capital.  But the H, A & Y are really great!

Olivia has been asking when we can go to the Pumpkin Patch again... and while that does sound like lots of fun, I'm really not ready for summer to be that far gone just yet.  We're still trying to soak the last little bit of summer in!