Killens Pond

A few weeks ago Martin took a day off in the middle of the week so we could have a family day. We went to Killins Pond, a state park south of Dover that also has a water park. It ended up being a nearly 100 degree day, and so was more crowded than we had hoped, but still was very fun.


Emma and Will had an absolute blast on the little water slides.


They couldn't wait to run back around to the stairs and get in line again.


The pools were nice and shallow for them, and both of the ended up being quite confident (and even over confident!).


They went down on their own without needing to be "caught", but still enjoyed us being right there to cheer them down the slides.


It felt great to be in the pool on such a sweltering day!


Will for over excited and started hopping in front of kids who were taking too long to push down the slide! In the back ground here you can see the second of three pools.


It was a lot of fun and we will certainly be going back!

Summer Fun

It's been a whirlwind of a summer, so here's a peek at some of what we've been doing.

Homemade lemonade Popsicles in the pool after dinner.




Corn on the cob fresh from the farm.



Will's first movie in theaters and Emma's second...Brave! The kids did great and we enjoyed the movie.



Waiting patiently for it to start!



Fresh tomatoes just about every day from our backyard.



Lots of driving in the car, but these kids are troopers.



Water the plants and keeping cool with a spray bottle.



A BBQ as we look forward to the Proffitt twins arriving soon.



Our CSA farm is so much closer this year, which makes the weekly trips way easier.



Emma and Will had a blast on our friend's baby grand.



They are so adorable!



We dressed like cows for Cow appreciation day.



A fly colony took up residence in our house. We killed about 50 flies in 2 days!



I find a reheated cup of coffee in the microwave about once a week.



Emma and I painted our toes a fun gray that changes to purple in the sun.



It's been a blast and we are looking forward to August!

Playing Pretend

Both Emma and Will are doing a lot of pretend play lately. For instance...

In the middle of her quiet rest/naptime, Emma started screaming like something was really wrong. "AHHHH! Ahhh! Help! Mommy!" I rush into her room to find her playing on the floor. "The sharks were trying to get me"




Another "naptime" both kids were wide awake and talking to each other through their shared wall...
W: Hey Emma!
E: What Will?
W: What doin' Emma? All done nap?
E: Its still not 3-zero-zero. I have an idea, lets bang on the wall!
W: No, stop Emma! Stop!



Emma: Mommy, I am making some ice cream for you.
Me: Thanks Emma, that's so sweet!
E: Yes, this ice cream makes your bottom feel better when its a little sore.
M: Oh, really?
E: Yes, its chocolate ice cream and it helps bottoms feel better. Its almost ready then you can eat it. It goes in your mouth, then to your throat, then to your bottom.

On a separate occasion,
Emma: Mommy, I am making you something to eat in the mircrowave. Its barium.



Will: A frog! A frog on the floor! See, there it is! A frog mommy!
Me: There's nothing there Will.
W: I pretending!



Emma (throwing a toy up in the air) Its flying! Do you see it flying?
Me: Its not actually flying. You're throwing it up into their air and it falls back down. The only things that can fly are birds and airplanes and things like that.
E: And Peter Pan can fly.

Location:Playing Pretend

Keeping Cool

A few Sundays ago we headed down to Rehobeth to visit with the Thompsons after church. It was such a hot afternoon that the beach sounded miserable and even the backyard with a freezing cold pool was pretty sweltering!

The kiddos enjoyed throwing themselves into and out of the pool. Since the sides were pretty tall they didn't always make it out on their feet!



Filling up the little pool...



Emma had a great time splashing around in the deep pool


And Will split his time between the pool and watching Daddy and Mr. Billy play horseshoes.




Check out that handsome face!



Emma and Will have also discovered a strong passion for corn on the cob this summer. Emma polished off most of the ear by herself...



with a little help from Will!



Instead of the beach we opted for dinner on the boardwalk at Grotto's. Will ate two whole (very large slices) and Emma nearly as much! Then we spent a little time on the rides at Funland.

Fun on the boats...



Emma waited so patiently to ride the carousel,



with her tickets in hand.



And she had a blast!



Despite the face, Will quite enjoyed himself as well.



Lots of fun on the carousel!

Our Fourth of July Celebration

Another July 4th, another trip to Oregon Ridge! I would love to know how many years we've been going...Mom may be able to give a pretty close guess.



Missing one sissy!



A new favorite family picture!



Will had such a blast this year. Both he and Emma love the different musical events we've done lately, and this one was no exception.



After our picnic dinner he waved his flag, blew bubbles with Grandma, ate some more, and thoroughly enjoyed himself.



I know Becca didn't love this one, but I think it's a great candid :-) introducing Steven to the BSO...



Miss Emma made her rounds with everyone.



She has been looking forward to this for literally a year. I'm not sure if she actually remembered from last year, but she has asked about music and fireworks for Omi's birthday at least monthly!


More lap sitting...



Emma and Uncle Kevin really bonded over the BSO :-) she shared her fruit snacks and they chatted it up!



Glow sticks and necklaces came out for the second half of the concert.



And for the fireworks!



Will did great and tells us pretty frequently, "fireworks went bang, bang, BANG!"



Emma kept telling us all evening that she would be a little scared but would try to be brave, and she was!



Mostly enjoying herself, but with my hands over her ears.



On the 4th we had a great party to celebrate Mom's birthday!



I had a nice surprise visit from Alison who is in town from Mexico!



And Emma took about 10 minutes to get completely warmed up to Alison.



Such a fun 24 hours!