Drive-In Movie

Every summer we have a tradition of going to the Drive-in Movie Theatre. (Yes, the scary one on Redwood Road.) We always did this with my family growing up. I remember stopping by 7-11 on the way to the Drive-in to stock up on drinks and candy. This was my favorite part of the whole night. It always took me sooo long to pick out my treats. (I have always been a perfectionist especially when it comes to picking out the perfect candy!) We would get to the Drive-in and lay out our blankets, eat our treats and maybe watch a movie. I don't remember any movie we ever saw, but the Drive-in is one of the fond memories I have of spending time with my family. I loved it!

After Tim & I got married we continued to go to the Drive-in and I think that we've been to the Drive-in every single summer since. I don't think it's something that we've intentionally tried to make a tradition, but it's one of those things that we just do because it's summertime.

So, in the spirit of tradition, we went to the Drive-in this weekend. My parents were feeling nostalgic and decided to come with us. We got a pizza, treats and drinks then headed to the Drive-In. We met my parents there early and it was already getting crowded. As we arrived, set up and ate dinner we got to observe all the interesting people pulling into the Drive-in and setting up. It seems like ever year as we sit around and observe we ask ourselves, "Why are we doing this?" Seriously, it's a pretty scary place, in a scary location with lots of scary people. You watch the cars drive around frantically looking for a spot as they almost hit a dozen children who are playing in the road. Inevitably, somebody always pulls in right as the movie is starting with a car bigger than yours right in front of you so you can't see! Also, the first half of the movie you can hardly pay attention to the movie because there are so many people still coming in, parking and getting situated. We saw Wall-E & Chronicles of Narnia (Yes, we stayed for both movies!) The boys loved it and did so great. We all fell asleep for the second movie and got home at 2:30 a.m. Every year we leave telling ourselves that we will never do this again, but for some reason we are always drawn back to the Drive-in. I'm sure we'll be back next year!

Swimming Lessons

Payton and Parker took swimming lessons this year at Shinsel's Swim School, which is where I took swimming lessons as a child. The Shinsel's live in the neighborhood just across the street from my grandparent's home. We swam there a lot growing up and even had a few parties at their pool. It was fun to see that they are still doing swimming lessons. We also had an excuse to stop by and visit my Grandpa after swimming lessons a few times, which was fun for the boys and me!

Payton did a great job with swimming lessons this year. He loves to swim under water with his goggles. He's working on not being so uptight so that he can actually float. His favorite part was jumping off the diving board at the end of each class. Also, the last day they did swim races with the other classes and he loved that!




This was Parker's first time taking swimming lessons and he tolerated it well, but did not love it. He pretended that he loved it and always got in the pool without problems, but he was not loving it. He was very timid. He sat on the very top step and did the least amount of swimming possible. When it came time to go off the diving board he would freak out a little, but he went off the diving board every time as long as I held his hands. He would always brag about how much he loved swimming lessons afterwards and how he went off the diving board all by himself. He did learn how to breath under water and loves to display his new skill in the bathtub. He is so much more comfortable in the water now that swimming lessons is over. However, I doubt he'll be wanting to go off the diving board anytime soon!

Goodbye Chloe

This morning our sweet cat Chloe passed away. I didn't think that I would be so sad. I actually thought that when this day came that I would be relieved. As you know we were often caught complaining about Chloe. He was always getting on the kitchen table, going outside and getting dirty, leaving dead mice and birds on our back porch, jumping on our laps when we were busy, whining to go outside or for food or for water. We always had to clean the litter and clean up after him when he would throw up from eating too much grass. Disgusting huh?!? Unfortunately, you don't realize what you have until it's gone. Chloe was the best pet. He never bothered us except when he wanted something. We were sort of on auto pilot with him. He knew exactly how to get what he wanted from us. If he whined in the bathroom it meant that he was thirsty. He was very particular and would only drink water from the master bathroom sink. If he whined by the stairs it mean that he was hungry. If he whined by the back door it meant he wanted to go outside. Tim, Payton, Parker & I would always just automatically respond to these cues without hardly even noticing that Chloe was there. I guess that is why I'm so sad now. I feel like we took for granted what a great pet we had. He didn't ask for much; just to be sheltered and fed. Lately, that was about all we were doing for him. Chloe has always been last priority, but he was fine with that. He left every evening to go out and prowl the town, but continued to come back every morning. We gave him every opportunity to leave us and go find a better home, but he just wouldn't.




Tim & I have had Chloe since he was a kitten. When we went in to get his first shots the vet told us that it was actually a girl. We didn't know anything about kittens anatomy so we believed him. We went home and changed his/her name to "Chloe." After 6 months, we went back to the same vet to have "her" spade and the same vet told us that "she" was a "he." So, we had Chloe neutered. We debated so much about what to do with the name. She, I mean, he already responded to the name Chloe. We felt like we couldn't change it...so we didn't. To this day nobody knows whether it's a he or she. For the record...Chloe was definitely a boy with a girl name.




Chloe really was an ideal pet for our family. He was so sweet and loving. He put up with a lot of torture and neglect, but he still loved us unconditionally.



Chloe has been a fixture in our home for the past 8 years. Although we had our complaints, I'm not sure what we'll do without hearing his meow or seeing him lounging around our home or prowling around outside. I swear that I'm not a crazy cat lady, but I can't believe how hard it has been to see him die and know that he won't be around anymore. These are some pictures of Chloe last night just hours before he passed away.



Chloe progressed throughout the night and passed away early this morning so Payton and Parker weren't around to witness any of it. We told them what had happened. They really don't understand death yet. They've spent the morning making cards for Chloe and put them by his grave.

Summer Fun

We have been so busy trying to have fun this summer that it seems we can't keep up with anything else. Since summer started it seems like we have just run from one activity to the next, which is great, but at some point this summer I would like a chance to just relax! Here are a few pictures of some things we've been doing.

We went to Cherry Hill this past Saturday with all of my family. My grandparents planned this with some of their other family members. We had a great time swimming and going on the slides. Also, we had a nice lunch together with everyone. It was so wonderful to have plenty of babysitters for Cooper so that Tim and I could play with Payton and Parker. It was a really fun and exhausting day!





This past Monday night for FHE we went to Mulligans to hit some balls. Payton was so excited because he just got a new set of golf clubs (Thanks to Daddy and the Hunts). He has been practicing out in the backyard, but this was his first time on the range. He and Parker had some great shots. I was happy to take a swing and actually hit the ball after taking a couple years off. I think it's been a couple summers since I golfed and I actually miss it. I'm excited to get back on the golf course. This was such a fun family activity. We will definitely be doing it again soon!










Don't you love summertime? You don't even have to wear a shirt if you don't want to! Payton and Parker have been playing Star Wars Legos together. Payton used to just let Parker pretend that he was playing, but now he will actually let Parker play with him. He's starting to get pretty good!

10 Years of Wedded Bliss...

Tim and I are celebrating our 10 year Wedding Anniversary today. 10 years is a pretty big milestone, which has led me to reflect on the past 10 years and everything that has happened since we were married. It has made me realize one thing; dreams do come true!

10 years ago I was just dreaming that my life would turn out this perfect. Our life together has been everything that I dreamed of and more! We set goals together and have been able to accomplish all of them. Tim and I were both able to graduate from college. Tim has a successful career and I'm able to be a stay-at-home Mom. We have 3 AMAZING children. We have a beautiful home. Heck...we even have a minivan (I would have never predicated that one). What's more incredible is that I would have never dreamed that I could love Tim anymore than I did on our wedding day, but I do. I love Tim so much more each day that we are together. Life with Tim only gets better every single day. We definitely have our ups and downs, but we do a pretty good job of making the ups so much better than the downs. I can't wait to see what the next 10 years will bring for us.

Our New Ride

Goodbye, Pathfinder


Hello, Minivan!


That's right! No need to blink, or read the captions again, it's true...we now own a minivan! I was in denial the entire time we were purchasing the vehicle. I couldn't believe we were actually doing this. Tim has been the one spearheading the minivan movement. He wanted this from the beginning, but I needed some convincing. Months of research, exploring EVERY other possible option and after only ONE test drive I was finally convinced. Seriously, it was love at first test drive. This car is a dream for a mother of three. I couldn't believe how much room there is inside. Also, the cargo and storage space is unbelievable. Not to mention, it rides like a sports car. After squeezing my three children into the back seat of the Pathfinder for 2+ months this vehicle was a dream come true. Yes, I have sold my soul to the minivan.

I was sad to leave my Pathfinder that we've loved for the past 6 years (the top picture is me kissing it goodbye). But, the minute we drove the minivan away I was in love. Seriously, I'm not even embarrassed to admit it anymore...I LOVE MY NEW MINIVAN!

Big Boy...

Cooper had his 2-month check up this week. He weighed in at a whopping 11 lbs 6 oz. He was also 23 inches long. Wow! It was 11 days after his 2-month birthday which does make a difference, but as many of you know, he had some trouble gaining weight when he was first born. At his 2-week check up he hadn't even got back up to his birth weight yet and they were concerned about him. They made me start supplementing with formula and bring him in a couple times to check his weight gain. Clearly, that is no longer an issue! He is in the 50th percentile, which is bigger than my other 2 boys have ever been. We are so grateful that Cooper is doing so well.

He is such a fun little guy. Cooper is such an easy baby! He just tags along with us wherever we drag him and rarely complains. He is so smiley now. He also loves to talk. When you talk to him he will talk back to you. It's so fun!


Also, Cooper is such a great sleeper. He has been sleeping 10 hours at night which is why this past week we moved him from his bassinet to his crib. I really didn't want to move him out of our room, but he's been sleeping through the night so there really was no reason (except for selfish reasons) why we should keep him in our room. Tim and I both loved the time at night before we went to bed that we could just hold him, talk to him and play with him. We also loved watching him as he slept. It was hard for both of us to "officially" put him in his room, but we know that it will be for our benefit in the future. It's just so amazing how fast these little babies grow up. From past experience, we know that moving them to their crib is just one of the first steps in letting them go. Before you know it, we'll be sending him to Kindergarten and then soon after that he'll be out of the house for good!


We do love our Cooper and are so grateful for this sweet little boy in our lives!

Happy Father's Day!

It was a successful Father's Day in our home. Payton and Parker spent all week making cards for Tim. It took Tim all morning to read his cards. My boys are so lucky to have an amazing Dad to look up to. They love him so much and always want to be around him when he's home.


We made Tim his new favorite dessert...Key Lime Pie. A friend of mine brought this to us after Cooper was born and Tim was instantly obsessed (lucky for me, it's the easiest thing in the world to make.) Also, Camille gave me a cool tool for my birthday that I was able to use to decorate the pie with whipped cream. Thanks Cam!


I must mention that Tim & I have AMAZING Father's as well. We got to spend the day with each of them. I'm so grateful that we have a day to celebrate the wonderful men in our lives!

My Cinderella's...

Payton & Parker LOVE helping me clean. Despite what you might think, I don't make them scrub floors all day long. They are always begging me to let them clean. Honestly, I'd prefer to do it on my own. It's a lot less work and less time, but I'm so glad that they enjoy it and want to do it. So, I will treasure my cleaning boys while it lasts!

Cooper's First Date

Cooper is getting so old. We thought it was time we started checking out prospects for his future. This was his first date. It was a blind date (mostly because neither one of them ever opened their eyes). They met for lunch at Olive Garden. Cooper had a few ounces of formula and Naomi, of course, didn't want to eat. (You know how girls can be on dates!) Don't worry, the date was chaperoned by the mothers.


This is cute little Naomi. Can you believe all that light hair? I've never seen a baby with this much hair that is strawberry blonde. Her Mom, Ann, has gorgeous red hair.



NOTE TO THE LADIES: As much as we love Naomi, Cooper is still on the market!