{summer days and nights}

Wow, we had a busy weekend! After my parents left yesterday we went to a nearby festival where Morgan rode her first pony. Gerard insisted he was NOT interested.

Wouldn't even wait in line with us.

Complained about the heat. HAD to sit in the shade.

Complained about the smell of poop. HAD to plug his nose.

Complained about the length of the wait. Had to ask "IS SHE DONE YET" a million times.

Was suddenly interested AFTER Morgan was done and the line had quadrupled in size.

NO, we didn't wait again. Complained about THAT.

We're such mean parents.

Life was good and fair once again when Gerard saw the "Instrument Petting Zoo" that the symphony provides for the kids. He got to play their instruments once before when we took him to see the Symphony and he loved it.

He was especially fond of the brass instruments this time. They suit him. He's got a lot of hot air, ya know.

I hope he gets Gerard's musical ability. Or Debbie's. Or Sada's. Just not mine. Otherwise he'll be playing the theme song from Fame on the trumpet and it was bad enough on the piano.

Four hundred times a day.

Seriously.

Ask my parents.

And then there was the real petting zoo, which amounted to little more than a few farm animals in little cages. The kids didn't seem to mind much, though. Gerard was especially fond of the little chicks.

Not surprising, as his Dad is especially fond of little chicks, too.

Morgan was content to admire the animals from a safe distance.

After the festival we had an impromptu cookout with our friends and neighbors. Chad and Jeff caught dinner themselves -- thanks for the fish, guys! Jayna, Cathy and I provided the extras and the kids provided the entertainment. Don't you just love summer nights? Sunscreen, bug spray, cookouts, bonfires, sunsets at TEN PM and s'mores. It doesn't get any better....

And then today I got to take out the old ice cream scoop.

You know what that means?! IT'S SOMEONE'S BIRTHDAY!

Happy 37th birthday, Gerard!

{the party's over}

My parents' visit is already over...they are leaving in less than an hour. We were actually quite busy this time. They arrived Sunday night just in time to see the kids for a while before bed. We went to the gym every morning, we played outside, Gerard got to play the Wii more than usual (to teach Grandpa, according to Gerard), and bedtimes were pushed a little later.

On Monday Gerard and I went to our usual swimming playdate and left Morgan home with Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Debbie. It was much more relaxing since I didn't have to worry about Morgan falling in the pool again. Although she was pretty pissed off once she realized we were going swimming without her. Sorry, kiddo.

I went out Tuesday night and Grandma brought a craft with her for the kids to do. They made these cute visors:

Grandma always comes prepared with crafts, games and gifts. She made Morgan a cute purse which she loved to show off. (Gerard also liked to walk around with it -- shhh... don't tell big Gerard!)

Wednesday we went to our park playdate after the gym and Grandpa joined us. He learned first-hand how relaxing it is to take a 2-year-old to the park. I'm not sure who enjoyed having Grandpa there more, Morgan or me. I certainly enjoyed sitting down watching him run after her!

Thursday night Gerard had a swimming lesson. He's in the Red Cross Level 1 class and for the first time he was expected to swim (and I use that term loosely) without any floaties. I think he was as shocked as I was that he could actually swim without them!

And of course Gerard just monopolized Grandpa the entire week. I'm sure Grandpa will sleep well when he returns to Arizona!

Thanks for coming Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Debbie!

{another gerard-ism}

This is the conversation that could be heard in the car on the way home from dinner tonight:

Me: "Gerard, thank Grandma and Grandpa for dinner."
Gerard: "What for? I didn't ask them for dinner."

{mom-isms}

For all the moms out there, check out Anita Renfroe....

{an explanation of TEN}

Several people have asked about my "TEN" list, so I thought I'd clear a few of them up:

The NINE cars were cars that we've had since we've known each other:
*G: Sentra, Intrepid, Liberty, Taurus, Freestar
*Me: Civic, Grand Cherokee, Civic, Altima
(OK, ten, if you count Dad's Lumina that I totalled on my first day of teaching)

The EIGHT jobs, including Gerard's internships:
*G: TGI Fridays, Flower City Tissue Paper, Hercules, Kemira, Buckman
*Me: Blockbuster, substitute teaching, HHS

The SEVEN states we've visited:
*NY, MI, FL, AZ, PA, NJ, IN

The SIX homes we've lived in since we've known each other:
*Lathrop, Mt. Shadows, Nob Hill, Clinton, New Hartford, Michigan

The FOUR ER trips:
*my car accident, big Gerard's elbow, little Gerard's head, big Gerard's appendicitis

{everybody loves aunt debbie}

The kids were sad when Aunt Debbie left. I only managed to take a few pictures of her while she was here since she was the one behind the camera this weekend. Here are the ones I did manage to get:

EDITED TO ADD: For Debbie's sake, I thought I'd mention that it was really windy out when I took the picture with her and dad. :)

{recalls}

A few recalls I thought I might share with you. To see the specific models and information, visit www.cpsc.gov.

Various Kolkraft Pack-n-Plays:
The play yard’s side rail can fail to latch properly and when a child pushes against the rail it can unlatch unexpectedly, posing a fall hazard to children.


Aqua-Leisure Inflatible Baby Floats (Morgan has this one!):
The leg straps in the seat of the float can tear, causing children to unexpectedly fall into or under the water, posing a risk of drowning.