Sweet Summer Time

Tomorrow is my first full week back at work (I had to report Thursday and Friday of this week). So I thought that this post would be a great way to close out our summer time fun.

The past couple of weeks have flown by and I've tried to savor the moments of giggling, hugs, and early morning snuggles.

One of the highlights of the last two weeks of summer was a trip to Nana and Pop's house where we got to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa (Nana's parents) who were visiting from Oklahoma. The kids and I went to my parents house on Friday and got to spend all day Friday and most of the day Saturday with my grandparents. Harper and Jack had a great time reading books, coloring, helping Nana in the kitchen, and playing with a train Aunt Kiki sent them.

On Saturday evening Harper, Jack and I got to see Great Granny for dinner. We went to a diner by Granny's house, and Jack saw some rolls and was so excited that he ordered some rolls all by himself.  When the rolls came, Jack and Harper were enjoying their food and suddenly Jack grabbed a roll, hoisted it over his head and announced "I the Statue of Liberty!"  Where does he get these things?

The kids ate really well and Harper surprised me by trying Granny's catfish and fried okra (that girl will do anything her Granny asks her to).  After dinner we went back to Granny's to play and Granny found some American flags (Jack is big into American flags right now too) and Harper, Jack, and Granny put on a parade. They also found some old tub toys and Granny filled the sink so the kids could play.

After playing, Granny offered up some dessert- Harper insisted they have cookies. It was so cute to see Harper and Jack sitting at my Granny's table eating Oreos and milk. Granny and I decided to have ice cream and Granny put her bowl on the table and turned around for a split second and when she turned back, Jack was eating her ice cream! So, Jack got two desserts- what happens at Granny's stays at Granny's.

After our trip to Nana and Pop's, we settled in for one last week at home before school started. We got to go to the park, the library,  Costco, and Kroger; we also got to play in the water table, play with play doh, and color all sorts of pictures and read all sorts of books. I am going to miss them so much when school starts. We even got to take Abby to the park with us- something she's learning to like too.

Oh, and Harper and Jack had their first trip to the dentist! No cleaning this time, just meeting the dentist, looking at their teeth, and getting them acclimated with the thought of sitting in a chair. Their first cleaning will be in 6 months. The kids did a great job, but I wouldn't have been able to make the appointment work without Durinda volunteering to go with me- she helped so much and the kids were so excited to see her. Durinda said that she could tell the kids had grown in the month since she'd see them, especially Harper.

Harper has been particularly affectionate giving both Tony and I lots of hugs, patting us on the back, and telling us how much she loves us or misses us. Harper told me last week that I was her "favorite mommy". This girl has always been a daddy's girl, but I find her hanging out with me a little more here and there. She's fiery and has some great temper tantrums- hello Miss Independent- but she also has the sweetest heart and she's always trying to help and giving her brother hugs and high fives and pats on the back. I love this girl, even when she's trying my patience. Here are some of my favorite shots of this girl who is growing up so fast.

Jack-man is not a little Jack-man anymore and is big into superheroes, sports, and all things that "go". That boy hardly sits still (unless he's watching TV), and has now started "sword fighting" and wrestling with his dad. I can see him turning into a boy everyday and I try to savor those little moments when he wants to sit on my lap or snuggle with me because I know they are fleeting. Here are some shots of Jack in action.

I'm going to end the post tonight with two of my favorite instances of the last couple of weeks. The first is a rare moment when Jack and Harper started dancing together. They were holding hands and dancing when they got the giggles and couldn't stop laughing. Tony and I were laughing with them- it was a great moment and I'm thankful we snapped a picture of it.

The second instance is a picture of these two sweet little ones snuggled up on the same bed during nap time. They started off in separate beds, but when I went to check on the monitor, this is what I found. I hope Harper and Jack will stay best friends as they grow older- oh my heart, I love them.