Family Ties

The end of July was jammed packed with family fun. Both with our immediate family and extended family. Nate and the kids were in full swing rehearsals for Joseph, but we still managed to find some time to have some fun. 1-800-Contacts had their annual summer party and this year it was Harry Potter themed. Nate was sorted into Slytherin (Boo), so that's the house we were put into. Everyone received a wand when they came in. At this point Riian and Cole ran off by themselves and I didn't see them until dinner, but Nate, Jack, Izzy and I took full advantage of the rest of the party. We made our first stop at Moaning Myrtle's water park so that the kids could go down some water slides and cool off. We then did some "Dragon Egg" hunts, these were akin to Easter Egg hunts. We stopped off at Care of Magical Creatures to pet some reptiles, Izzy freaked out and would not come close to the alligator, even though it was just a small one. We went to potions and made a drink from pop rocks and sprite (it was quite disgusting). We went to Honeydukes Candy shop and braved the Bertie Botts every flavor beans. It was very fun and the kids (and adults) had a great time
She pet the snake, but that is where she drew the line

Sitting in Hagrid's chair

Joseph opened on the 22nd and Nate's mom and two sisters came out, along with their kids. We had a great time getting to know our cousins, and seeing the babies we haven't seen since they were new born. We took everyone to the show the first night, then Anita and I, along with Izzy, went the second night.
Anna

Pavlo

Maira (pronounced My-ee-da)

Hunter

After they left, my mom and sister and kids came to visit and see the show. Once again everyone loved it. We all went both nights and the kids did great. Izzy loved the show and would have gone everynight if she could. She even cried closing night because she was going to miss it. After the closing night show we took the kids to get ice cream and came home.
Trying to stay cool



Zoie

Bia

On Monday, Aug 1st, Cole left for Clear Creek summer camp for the entire week. I must say, while I missed him and was glad that he was home, the house was much quieter and cleaner this past week. While he was gone, Nate was involed in a Ping Pong tournament with his work, so we went to watch him one night.



Nate even let the kids play during a brief break

And now for the prized photo of the week...


It took quite a few takes, but I finally got her to smile in a picture.

So now we still have two more weeks of summer left, and we are planning on taking full advantage of them. Riian has started soccer, Nate is continuing softball, and the rest of us are just along for the ride