Our 1st time Fishing!

It was a Daddy and Blake fishing trip - his 1st time. (I really try not to have him be the middle child - he never gets 1 on 1 with Danny so I was so excited he got to do this). In the 2 hours they were there, he only caught 2 fish. Danny said he was to impatient (like his mama) and kept reeling in the worm. A lot of the time, he did have a nibble and the bait often was eaten but half the time it got caught in the crap in the water and Danny had to put a new worm on.

We decided to stop by towards the end. I don't do fishing so it was all Danny. Paige had amazing luck and caught a fish the first time she threw hers in.. and then again, and again. I think she caught a total of 5!

Yep, he found the worms.. he decided he didn't like how they tasted after all :)

For Fun!

He put on these boxers because Blake wears them. He definitely wants to be like his big brother and big sister.

We went to the Women's pro soccer game, the Independence. Danny was given a jersey which was 10 sizes too small... We got to sit on the field. The kids had a blast.

He says he fell on the carpet. Do you believe him?

If there's a bug, he'll find it. However, this time, he spotted this really cool caterpillar.

Cheese!

PBJ CALIFF

Put the pen behind his ear like his daddy... and then said DAD! He's super smart and super cute :)

Paige at her Art Camp

She is my art girl. She went for 2 weeks and each day they did something different. She was in her element.

She made a cute fish bowl in clay class. She has asked to do a clay class in the fall.

Her and her teacher - Mr. Tree

She got to 2 days of tie-dye. She's so proud of them!

Blake @ camp - turn up the volume!

Don't mind the kid in front that I was getting sooooo annoyed with!

Bike Ride

It's called LIFE

I can't believe it is almost the end of summer. Our first summer in PA was a blast! Camps are huge on the East Coast so we had to try them all out. The kids did:
Gymnastics camp
Art camp
VBS (2 weeks)
Outdoor camp
A camp at the Y

We also took a lot of trips, saw new/old friends, and have gotten a lot closer to all our neighbors. I am really loving PA.

We've also had some big changes happen too. My parents lost the home I grew up in, this summer. It was very emotional for me and very hard to explain to the kids that they will never go to Nana and Papa's home again. I still don't think they get it. My parents need a change so they are going to temporarily move to PA and live with us. We have a good size basement (900 sq. feet) which my dad is going to finish. Then, they'll live down there. I know my dad can get some work with my neighbors. Plus, I have a pretty good lead on a potential full time job.

We also just heard that Danny's grandparents are going to move in with his parents. Exciting and a good idea for them but sad for us. The 2 homes they love and feel comfort in are no longer going to be there. What does this mean for us and our visits to CA? I have no idea but it changes a lot. Getting to CA is a lot harder now because of Danny's schedule and the kids school schedules. We also love taking our annual trips to Hawaii too. Ahhh.. just when you thought you had things figured out, it all changes. I guess that's why its called LIFE!

Paige is going into 1st grade! 1st grade people. I remember the day I found out I was pregnant with her. I called Danny at 4am in China and told him the news. I remember the day she was born - I was a big fat whale. I remember the worst temper tantrum ever in Denmark and the time she heard me crying about the money we lost and went up to her room and gave me all her money from her piggy bank. I remember all the times she asked me, why we had to move or why Daddy is going to be gone again. She is a very smart, energetic, creative girl. I am so excited for her future. I can relive my childhood again :)

Blake is going into K. I can't believe this one either. He just turned 5 and is also very smart. He is very inquisitive and is my sensitive boy. He asks questions non stop and is a great friend. He loves Paige very much and likes to play with Jude, sometimes. He just gave me a run for my money the other night with his worst temper tantrum. He was my first son, the one that did and still likes to tell me about his penis, he loves to make people laugh and often turned my hard days in Denmark into good ones because of his smile and laugh. I am so lucky to be his mommy.

Jude is almost 20 months. I delivered Blake when Paige was this age. I COULD NOT imagine having a baby right now. Jude is a handful. He is still behind on speech but getting better. He finally will say MOM from his crib. He says about 5 other words but mostly grunts, points, and pull my hands to where he wants to go. I must say I am very good at JUDE talk. :) He's already dribbling a soccer ball, would play outside all day if I'd let him and he's my daredevil and little fish! He has the best smile which is very contagious. I think the 3rd child discipline is so true.. he's too darn cute!

Soccer for Danny is not going so well and we are all frustrated. It's the 1st year and we have to remember that but no one likes losing and when you have money riding on the "W" it makes it worse. He's going to have a busy off season though - some fun, some not so fun: a vasectomy, possible Lasik surgery, a trip to Mexico and CA, along with a trip to Vegas with me :)

The kids and I are off to CA in about 2 weeks. My wonderful friend Jen has graciously let us stay at her home, along with friends Dan and Christine letting us use their car. I'm so glad we have friends who can help out. A huge thank you to them. And, if anyone wants to get together, email me.

We finally did the Philly Tour

In front of the Liberty Bell. Blake loved that it has a "spider" holding it together so the crack does not spread. I was expecting it to be bigger.
In front of Independence Hall - George Washington's statue

We ride in style. Cool way to get a tour.

The kids had a great time. (our friends from Boston were in town and that is their son Jacob. Also have twin 1 year olds, Christian and Weston) At the visitors center you get a flag that has 13 spaces that need to be filled. You walk around and listen to the generals tell you stories of our country. We only collected 6 so we have lots to do with our next set of visitors. Who will it be???

Inside Betsy Ross' house with Betsy herself! Her house was small but cute. She was 1 of 17 kids, and had 6 kids herself. The rumor is she sewed 1000 flags in 1 year.

We also visited Benjamin Franklin's grave and ate lunch at a really cute park.