Angel

 Mom and I made this nightie for Marissa. Isn't she the prettiest little girl in the world?

Celebrating Mom's birthday!

Tate is being a Roman soldier.

Bulldogs

The boys are playing football this year! They are in the Bantam level of Bulldog Youth Sports. They practice every day for 5 weeks, 2 hours a night. Is that crazy? Then, when school starts, they practice 3 nights a week and a game on Saturday. I think we have all lost our minds. But aren't they cute?

Tate just finished his new favorite book.

Mom teaching Marissa some fingering on the piano.

The kids went to a "Prairie Camp" last week down the street. A neat family was putting on a camp everyday from 9-noon teaching kids in the neighborhood about the California Gold Rush. Tate met a little boy named Jameson there and had him over for a playdate.

This is a demonstration of the kids' fortmaking abilities.

Wagonmobil(e)

Tate leaves little pieces of paper all over the house of his invention ideas. This one is called a "Wagonmobil(e)". He wants to make a wagon/bicycle combo that works on water and on land. Kind of like the DuckBoats from Boston.

Marissa flopped down in the back doorway to prove that she was exhausted and no longer had the energy to move.

Breakfast with Princess and the Boys

Kevin made breakfast with the kids outside. Marissa felt the need to get all dolled up for the occasion where Tate dressed down a bit. Like the socks and sandals?

Pirate Jack

Tate wrote his first story in his journal about " Pirate Jack" and his Dad.

Painting!

Being Silly

Camping

 Our fun night of camping...Garett got attacked by 15 mosquitoes after having lost a battle with a bungee cord.

The light-turner-oner

Tate's "light-turner-oner" invention. He is proud of it.

This is a picture of all the kids' cousins.

I actually went tubing with Kevin and my sister-in-law, Amy.

Tubing with our cousin, Sam.

Jet-skiing with Dad

Jet-skiing with Dad.

One man's trash....

Tate's personality. In a word: trash. He loves trash. He loves to recycle and create new things. I can't get through a parking lot with the boy because he collects everything from the ground from door to door. So it did not surprise me when we went to the lake over the 4th of July and as soon as he found land, he found as many leftovers as he possibly could from previous lakegoers and made it into a flag.

Locals

Locals know how to dress in Chattanooga. They wear bathing suits when they go to the Aquarium because they know there are little waterways and canals and fountains where the kids play after they tour the aquarium. This little secret they keep to themselves so that they can spy all the out-of-towners that come and play in their street clothes in the water.

The amazing fun at the Chattanooga Aquarium. What a great place!

Bunny Ears

Marissa was trying so hard to pose for the camera. She is so oblivious to the fact that her brothers are having a glorious time with bunny ears behind her. Their expressions are of pure joy at getting away with it. 

Pool time

Dad and Marissa swimming at the hotel pool in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Tate

Tate high in a tree on Dad's old dairy farm in Lexington.

Garett

Garett in Dad's tree in Lexington, Kentucky.

Marissa

We stopped at the house Kevin grew up in Lexington to show the kids where Dad lived. These pictures are the kids playing in one of Dad's trees on the farm.