That's right, we're not from Texas...

... But they are! That's right, our friends from Houston made a pilgrimage to Louisville to reunite us with the infamous duo known only as "Becca-Sara-Kate." We had a great time and were so grateful to a pretty pregnant Rebecca and Sara Kate for making the trek. For the girls, it was like not a day had passed since we left the great state of Texas. They played wonderfully together and listening to their conversations was a source of constant entertainment for me and Rebecca (at one point, they discussed taking a break from talking because they had been talking so much already). For me, it was also great to have my close friend visit. Rebecca and I have been there for each other since the girls were babies, sharing tips, frustrations, and humor as we charted the unknown territory of motherhood. We still are and I'm grateful for it. Jay was a very brave saint and manned Oscar for most of the weekend and stayed home with the kids one night so we could go to a nice dinner. We can't wait to see them again, especially once Sara Kate welcomes her second baby sister. Until then, Annie's going to be honing her Candland skills as I'm sure a tournament is on the horizon.

Lake daze

I think this is the most remiss I've ever been in updating the blog. I apologize, but honestly, two kids make for a busy schedule. Throw in living so close to the central time zone that we can see it from our window, and you've got a recipe for some late and LIGHT summer nights. In the summer, the sun doesn't set until after 9 and as such, Annie has taken a bit of liberty with her bedtime. Granted, she's still IN bed at 7:30, but we hear her upstairs getting out of bed, clearly looking at books, because every now and then we'll hear a loud THUD on the floor as she discards a finished book from her bed. It's a problem. Oscar is lucky (or not, depending on who you ask) in that we installed brown Con-Tact paper on his windows so it's perma-night in there. Makes for a lot easier nap time, I'll tell ya, even if he does resemble a vampire when he wakes up.

Excuses aside, we've had a great summer. The kids are at an age where they're actually more fun than annoying to juggle. Less naps to worry about, Oscar attempts communication in his own special way (he still calls water ee-oh, we don't know why), and Annie likes to sit and play games and is generally fun to have a conversation with. (This morning she used the word "available" when talking to her father about picking her up from camp.) A couple of weeks ago we went to Lake Cumberland State Resort Park and rented a two-bedroom cottage right on the lake. The lake is man-made from a dam so the shore is more shale than sand, but it is huge and beautiful. Let me just say this, Kentucky State Parks rock. They had nice accommodations, things for the kids to do like crafts, mini golf and horseback riding, an indoor pool, and I even got to escape to their indoor gym a couple of times to attempt getting into shape and even out the rest of my body with my scary strong mama arms. Annie practiced her swimming. Oscar practiced his escape artistry. (Twice he got out of my sight and opened the cottage door to escape. Jay found him right outside. I'm an awesome mom.) We got to take a ride on a pontoon boat with me at the helm as captain. Generally, after hammering out the sleeping arrangements (we now know Oscar and Annie can not yet room together and that Jay and I are way past the pull-out couch phase of our lives), we just a had a great time together.

This week Annie starts her last camp before school starts, Diggin' Dinosaurs at the Science Center. Then we're off for one more final escape to Connecticut to visit the grandparents and our friends from Houston, the Pasch-Grants (aka Hastings and Landry, Trout the dog, and their parents and grandparents). We can't wait.

It'll be an interesting transition once we get back as Annie starts school the morning after we get back. Oscar's going to miss his first week of preschool (already setting him up to be a slacker), but will be going two mornings a week while on the same two days Annie goes FULL day to Montessori. This, coupled with the fact that the girl is all big-feet and tall now is really freaking me out. I keep looking at old videos and pictures of her from when she was Oscar's age. Basically what this tells me is that when college comes, I'm going to lose it. Jay should start calling homes. I want one with a view. Preferably on a lake.