Family pictures

I just love these pics! They were taken in May by my friend Leah who did a wonderful job. I love all of them!!
Guess which one I orderd as a canvas to go on top of my mantel?

Kanzig farm

With school out for the summer we are trying to have as much fun possible every day. We love play days with the playgroup especially when we get to visit a new place. This time we all got visit the Kanzig's farm. Helen gave us a great tour of her farm after which we had a little picnic. The kids played hard the whole morning and Andrew felt asleep in the van on our way home.

Fire Station

One week before school was out for the summer, our playgroup had a fun outing to the main fire station in Lawrence. So,while Jasmine was at school I took the boys to it and it sure was a great experience for Andrew who loved every minute of it. We got to see where the fire fighters eat, sleep, exercise etc....The trucks were great and they even have an emergency boat. Andrew got to sit in the drivers seat in the fire truck and that was the highlight of the day.

The fire fighters explained some safety rules in case of a fire and showed the children what a firefighter looks like when he is wearing all the gear to protect himself of fire. I was so glad they did that because many kids are scared of them when they wear the face mask. They also emphasized how important is to have an evacuation plan where everyone in the family knows what to do to get out safely. We have practiced some of the rules for family home evening and I think we will try and repeat it once a year just so our little ones know what to do in case of emergency.

Happy Birthday Princess Jasmine!

Our BEAUTIFUL Jasmine

On the 12th of June we celebrated Jasmine's 9th birthday with a spa party. This was the most fun birthday that I have planned. Jasmine invited her friends for pedicures, facials and of course pizza and cake. The girls loved every minute of it and the mothers thought it was such a great idea for a party.

After the party we took Jasmine and the boys to the movie theater to see Shrek Forever After. Jasmine and Andrew loved it, as for Michael ,well, he slept through the whole movie so I got to enjoy the show without interruptions. After the movie we took Jasmine out to the restaurant where she enjoyed creamy Parmesan pasta with grilled chicken. The day continued with a little more shopping and then we headed home for some well deserved rest. We love Jasmine tremendously and we are so happy and blessed to have her in our lives. She is our sweetheart!

Good bye third grade!

I can't believe that Jasmine will be in fourth grade this fall. She closed third grade with excellent scores and four awards. She is such a brilliant girl! Not only is she the perfect student she is also a wonderful daughter. Jasmine has been my right hand since Michael has been born. Andrew, Michael and I continued our tradition of having a lunch marathon with Jasmine for the whole last week of school. Andrew said that it was super fun to eat lunch with Jazzy for so many days at school. For her last day of school Jeremy continued our fun tradition of a treasure hunt that starts from our entrance and all throughout our house. Jasmine and Andrew loved it! I am so grateful that Jeremy was so sweet to stay up late to make sure that the clues on the treasure hunt rhyme and are fun enough for our cuties. I love this stage of my life. Life with three little ones is extremely busy but I wouldn't trade it for anything else. My kids are needing me the most right now and I am here for them everyday and that makes me happy!

                                                              Last day of school /Jasmine with a very special visitor

Jasmines end of the 3rd grade report/awards

Here are the treasure hunt clues:

1. Hoorah! The end has come at last.
You'll put third grade into the past.
But before you move on to grade four
Read this clue on the front door
And you will know where to go next
Just from reading this simple text
So come on in and flip your hair
The next clue's near the leather chair

2. It's easy to see you're very smart
I'll tell you the next place to start
So don't worry and do not cry
It's near the machine that makes clothes dry.

3. You found this one and now I see
You might just be too smart for me.
The next one I will make more hard,
In the hall bathroom is the next card.

4. It's good you've found this little letter
The next clue is hidden so much better
Now go with Andrew and don't you fight
It's in the room where you sleep at night.

5. It's really fun to read these notes
Much more fun than milking goats
The next note will have you saying please
It's in the drawer where we keep the cheese.

6. The next clues isn't where you eat
Or where you wash your stinky feet.
Now think of all your favorite names
And look in the closet where we keep the games.

7. Sometimes when Michael goes to sleep
He doesn't even make a peep.
The next clue is where he rests his head
It's near mommy and daddy's bed.

8. The next clue will be kind of funny
It's hidden on a pile of money.
Now that's not true but you should go
To the garage and look for a bow.

9. Sometimes you are happy,
Sometimes you are sad.
And sometimes you are kind of bad,
But if you want to be a punk
You'll look near the bed that's a bunk.

10. You've made it now, you're number1
Your treasure hunt is almost done
To the freezer, you're gonna scream
When you see cones filled with ice cream!

School carnival

Every year before Jasmine's school closes they have a big carnival. It includes a cake walk, plenty of games, treats, and of course prizes. My kids love it and I enjoy being in this neighborhood and have my kids in such a great school. I feel like I know almost every parent, child, teacher etc... at the school. So, this kind of occasion is like a big party for my children and also for Jeremy and I. I think the kids favorite part was the blown up castles.

Cutest baby

Jasmine our wonderful photographer took this amazing picture

Michael is such a precious baby! We all kiss him more than a million times a day and he never seems to mind. It is such a wonderful thing to see Michael smiling from ear to ear when he sees Jasmine, Andrew, daddy or mommy. He sure knows his family! More than smiling Michael has been laughing these past few weeks and our house just fills with joy and happiness. He also jabbers a lot especially early in the morning. I listen to him and talk back and it sure feels like he understands every word I say. I am going to try and record it one of these days so you can see how much he wants to communicate with us already. We love our chubby boy to pieces and we are so blessed to have him be a part of our family. Here are some pics that were taken in May when Michael was 3months old.

Look at his beautiful eyes

                                                        I LoVe, LOvE, love this picture with Michael and Jasmine

Our soccer stars

This spring Jasmine and Andrew got their first taste of playing soccer in an organized league. Andrew had so much fun playing with many of his friends from church. At times I think giggles and laughter took his focus away from the game but overall he did a great job. Jasmine learned to be more aggressive on the field and her last game was absolutely amazing. I almost lost my voice cheering on my kids every Saturday morning and I did not mind that a bit because I was so happy to see them having fun and staying active. They will start again in the fall and we look forward to it! Oh, I almost forgot I can add now “soccer mom” to my resume.

I am back

I have missed my blog and thought about posting often but too many things have kept me busy . No time was found in my schedule to write down all the adventures we have had these past months. We decided we needed a larger home for our family including my parents who will arrive this summer so we moved at the end of May into a beautiful house just across from Jasmine's school. We love it, it has such a nice flow, 10 ft ceiling in the living room and lots of storage room. I also love our back yard and we have already planted some veggies and melons with the kids. The park is just a street away, the lake is still near us and life is good.
I will start posting all the fun things we have done with our family while moving and I sure hope it will not take me the whole summer just to get caught up.