Get Right Back to Where We Started From

So, needless to say my title is from that great 70's song I  used to sing while naked on the fireplace.  I am not at all sure why all of my words are underlined but when I figure it out I will correct it.   Anyway, Emily was watching a movie and eating her lunch after a long morning of kindergarten and this song was playing with the credits...do you remember it?  I used to love that song...was it Captain and Tonile?  Not sure, I wasn't into groups at that young age.  Anyway, I wanted to post 3 new photos.  The first is a photo of my children with my cousin Sara's kiddos...they came for a surprise visit in August before school started and we had so much fun.  The kids love their cousins and Sara and I never have trouble finding things to talk about!  We took the kids to the Brookfield Zoo the day they got here and it was fun....but hot!  The next photo is the hand-made lazy suzanne I painted and decorated 2 weeks ago.  What a fun project and fun to have on the kitchen table too!  And finally, the last photo was of Emily at the American Girl Store on Labor Day.  My niece Lauren got 4 free tickets for the very last public show and so we invited our neighbor and her daughter to go with us to eat lunch and see the show.  The girls loved it all and it was a great ending to a super busy but fun weekend!  I will post Em's first day of school photos soon...I havent' even looked at them yet!   Uh!  I am also going to post a photo of my new bestest friend....interested????  I bet I got you thinking and wondering!  

The projects this week included a bunch of overdue dusting...like the big stuff.  And today it's the hall coat closet.  The happy news is Em's coats from last year still fit (thank you Grandma Pat)!  So now it's just a matter of buying a winter coat for the boy.  These kids need to stop growing so darn fast!   All right, time for me to "get right back to where I started from"  in the coat closet.  Happy Tuesday!

It's All About the Boy!

This August it is all about the boy....On Saturday, Aug. 23rd, with both sets of Grandparents present Ben earned his deputy belt, which makes him one step away from his black belt!  It was a 2 hour event but he was very pleased when he was done and can now just work toward the final goal.  Then...2 days later he started 4th Grade!!!   Where has the time gone?  It seemed just yesterday I brought home this 8lb. 8oz. baby boy and now he is just amazingly big and independent.  But he was excited to start 4th grade and enjoyed all 2 hours of his first day.  (what's not to like in 2 hrs?)  Tomorrow he has a full day and Wednesday...I will be updating with photos of the girl's first day of kindergarten.  (Another one I just can't believe!) Today we went to school to do a quick meet the teacher and put away school supplies...and even that was highly exciting.  She just can't wait to get on the school bus with the neighborhood kids and go to school and although I know I will get all teary and sentimental, I am happy that she is so ready and excited about school.  

I will also post photos soon of my original lazy suzanne creation...I am working on a project for my kitchen table...we shall see!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BOY!!!

This photo was taken on our super fun RV trip...Ben just loved "camping"!!!
O.K.  So I am lame and I know it but I've been busy and need to down load some more new photos.  Ben's birthday is Wednesday and we are having a Kung Fu Panda swim party!!  Today I went to the Will Co. Superintendant's office to register to substitute teach...yep, something that resembles a real job!  I really did the whole dragging the kids around town to do errands thing and they were great!   We even spent time at Target getting a few last minute school related items (ie. gym shoes and outfits!)  I think Em and I are going to see one of the last American Girl shows ever in Chicago next week (thank you Lauren!) and the kids and I are going to sneak in a few fun trips before school starts on the 25th for Ben and the 27th for Em!!!!  I promise to post new photos soon.

"Look Mom, there's the trailer park!"

Well, I heard a sentence uttered from my children's young mouths that I never thought I'd hear...yep, that's right folks, the Dows went camping....RVing really...at the Yogi Bear camp site in Warrens, Wisconsin.  We took the new ride to try it out and had a great weekend.  We cooked out, swam and had a great time just hanging out as a family.  Thank goodness Chris knew his way around a motor home...we needed his expertise (a few mishaps along away) but we really had fun and the kids loved cooking out and exploring the campsite.  I can say Chris and I were the only couple there without "body art"!!!  Maybe for next time!!!  We left the day after Emily's pool birthday party...I can't believe she waited 6 months to have her birthday party but we had a High School Musical good time.  I'll post more photos soon.

Happy Summer Day!

Good Morning and Happy Summer!

I am so enjoying July all ready!  We had a great July 4th party that started at lunch and lasted until dinner.  Now the kiddos and I are enjoying just hanging out, seeing movies, and of course swimming a ton.  

I did start working on my Becky Higgins school kits yesterday and figured out how I am going to combine 2 years of preschool and how I am going to house those pages.  I went to Archivers last night with my sissy Kiki and found these cool cloth covered albums for their school days books.  Emily's is red and Ben's is green.  I am setting a goal to get those pages caught up by the time school starts.  We'll see how that goes!

I'm off to get my hair cut and colored today...very excited about this because it has been a long time!  I'll post some 4th photos soon!

Busy Dow Summer Continues!!!

We have had a super busy June but as of yesterday about 10:30 am I was officially done!   Starting with Emily's graduation in May it has been a busy non-stop month!  Besides the pool being finished up and all that it entails, we also have had 4 camps between the 2 kiddos including me being the Craft leader for VBS and having to plan for 100 campers.  We did have some fun though including my cousin and her family coming to stay with us last weekend...the Doyles rock and we had non-stop fun the entire weekend!   I'm just not sure who had more fun, the kids who played awesome all weekend, or the husbands who are new bffs! (or Sara and I watching all of this play out!)  We scrapped on Friday night, and came home to two very tipsey boys.  Saturday was a day of breaking in the pool (and the slide that was installed Saturday morning!) We ate, drank, swam and ended the evening playing cards.  Our kids went to bed willingly each night practically falling asleep when their heads hit the pillows...they were troopers!  Sunday was pancakes (thank you chef Chris), Ikea and a graduation party at the Mulvey's house.  Thus, this takes you to the last photo...my niece....Dr. Megan Mulvey!  How cool is that?  She is a doctor of audiology and the ceremony was cool.  Megan had her whole family there to cheer her on and we all were treated to an awesome Italian dinner via my sister and brother-in-law at this awesome restaurant in Chicago.  All in all June 2008 was packed full of fun but I am happy to sail into July only having to be a bum and hang out with the kiddos.  I am dreaming of sleeping in, drinking coffee in my jammies in my scrapbook room while the kids watch cartoons and then spending the afternoon swimming with friends and family.  Either way I will be sure to be blogging much more often this month.  Happy summer to you all! (and if you can make it come by to see my clean garage, have a beer and a swim too!)  

It's Officially Summer for the Dows!

I know our summer has officially begun because so many "end of the year" events have taken place in the past 2 weeks!  First we had Ben's last day of 3rd grade.  I can't believe it but I cried!!  I just think 3rd grade is the last real "little guy" grade...after that it's getting ready for middle school...and I think my kids are just growing up way too fast!  Ben had an awesome 3rd grade year and is just the coolest kid I know!  He's still doing Tae Kwon Do and as you can see recently earned his high red belt.  In September he tests for Deputy belt and then is in training for his black belt!!!  He's also attending Tae Kwon Do camp this summer and he's really excited about that.  His master and wife are both just such great teachers...they really enjoy the kids and have so much to share.

Anyway, then there is "Princess Em" and she has had quite the busy end of the school year.  Again, she's growing up WAY too fast!  She had her graduation from preschool the end of May and again I cried!  I loved Kids Connection preschool and felt like they really loved my kids and wanted the very best for them.  Mrs. Lewis and Ms. Panzera were great and I will miss going to see them in the fall.  I can't believe I won't have any more kids in preschool!

A few weeks after graduation Emily had her 3rd dance recital.  She did a tap number this time and her costume was plenty gaudy for her!  She was of course the littlest one on stage in her class but her attitude and sass was bigger than everyone's!  We had lots of family at all the above events and for that we are very greatful!  Our poor family has done nothing the past few weeks but pay homage to my kids...thanks family!!! 

 Anyway, good news with the pool, we have concrete and mechanicals.  They come back today to hook up the electric and tomorrow the landscaper will be here to start to redo the patio.  It's coming along and we MAY be swimming by this weekend!  Most everything should be done by next weekend when my cousin and her family comes to stay with us (I am so excited to see her!)  I will post photos of the pool soon.  They took the cover off yesterday and we got to see the inside for the first time.  IT WAS SO CLEAN!  Really, after growing up with a pool it was amazing to see the bottom with only a few leaves!  Hopefully that means smooth sailing from here on out.  Enjoy the nicer weather and try to eat outside as much as possible this summer...remember everything tastes better when you eat it outside!  I really think that is true!  Bon Appetit!