Employee Appreciation Day

I took the kids to work yesterday during the day for employee appreciation day.  The managers set up the whole day full of fun competitions and feed us lots of food.  M&J mostly enjoyed the balloons.

And the pretzels...

I have no decent pictures of Chris because he absolutely hates when I take a picture of him.  So the key to getting a good photo is to have someone else take one.  I don't even know who took this...maybe he does.  So I finally have a nice picture of my three babies (I actually mean that in an endearing way).  The kids look unhappy but they still look cute.

Labor Day cookout

I'm finally getting around to looking at my pictures from last weekend.

Every Labor Day weekend the Gloucester crew has a cookout at Stage Fort Park overlooking the ocean.  For three years before the kids were born Chris and I didn't make it to the cookout because we worked at the golf tournament every day all day.  Once we had kids we wanted to make a point to not work the tournament the day of the cookout so they could experience it.  Last year the cookout got changed to a different day at the last minute so we weren't able to make it.  Unfortunately it was Great Nana's last cookout and we missed it.  She died a few days later.

So this year was the kids' first Labor Day cookout.  They enjoyed it a lot even though they didn't sleep all day although Jackson did end up passing out in the stroller on the third walk/attempt to get them to sleep.  He didn't stay asleep long.

Jackson throwing a ball.  I love how you can see it and the expression on his face.  He throws a ball equally well with his left and his right hand.

Jackson and a football.  The kid just loves balls (there's just no way to say that without snickering like a teenager).  It's even one of his favorite words to say. 

 

"hey quinny, you think those burgers are done?"  "i'm not sure dana, i think we should ask chris."

After a long time of the kids not sleeping I got out the pack-n-play to see if they would with any luck lay down in it.  Of course luck was not on our side.

They jumped, played, and laughed hysterically at each other and everyone around.

Auntie bought Jackson new shoes while she was taking care of him last weekend.  Everyone loves them especially Jackson.  Every morning he brings them to me to put on him then he runs to the door like we're going outside.  Then of course he cries when we don't.

The rest of the photos can be seen here including the horseshoe tournament and the egg toss contest.

Photo

This is another photo I keep meaning to post.  It was actually just a test shot to check out the settings on my camera but the image kept catching my eye when I would go through the folder on my computer.  I like it.

Update

Jackson is completely fine.  After he fell asleep on the chair yesterday I was able to transfer him to his crib where they both slept for 2.5 hours.  When they woke up he was all better and even ate a good lunch.

Today was a supreme whiny day from beginning to end.  Nana came over in the afternoon and I don't think I even greeted her before whizzing out the door to do some errands.  They weren't any better for her and even Chris said they were extra whiny for him tonight.  If things aren't any better tomorrow I may need some wine to go with that whine.  Oh, that's not how the saying goes?  OK, I'll have some cheese too.

I'm working on a lot of projects at the moment but with the way the kids have been I don't have time to get anything done.  I did three loads of laundry on Tuesday but none of it is folded yet.  I know I had a break from them for 4 days and nights last week but what I really need is a break from them where I can stay home and get stuff done!  Aren't I always asking for this?

I haven't even downloaded my pictures from last weekend so I have none to post.  

Oh wait, I keep forgetting to post this photo of lightning I got a month ago.  I was driving back from New Hampshire from Susan's baby shower and ahead was all kinds of lightning.  I ended up putting the camera on my dashboard on rapid fire but I wasn't able to catch any.  I eventually pulled over in  a parking lot.  At one point I was shooting when a big one went off but when I went back to check the images, it must have flashed in between shutter clicks.  But I did get this relatively lame one.

It's 1:45 and I can't sleep.

Maddie loves to say car (ga) and always gets excited when we see one.  She will say it over and over and over.  She says it like a question with the inflection going up at the end.  The other night we were driving home and she was saying it so we started saying it so that the inflection started up and went down and she totally copied us!

Jackson loves to say ball.  He says it really clearly too.  Sometimes I think there is a strange child in my house because I'm not used to hearing my kids say words that are understandable.  He also likes to say shoe.  He is absolutely adorable the way he says it.  I can't really describe it.

We have flash cards and they try to repeat everything we say.  They both say peas really well and will repeat please although it sounds more like peas.

I'm entering a photo in the Topsfield Fair photo contest.  The theme is agriculture so it kind of limited my choices of photos I have in my gallery.  The grand prize is a whole $10.  Wish me luck :-)

Photos

I finally updated the July and August galleries linked to the right so if you have a few hours and nothing else to do you can browse through them ;-)

Madison and Jackson are really into shoes now.  They especially love to put mine on.  They can't really get anywhere in them but it's so cute.

Chris and my dad and I worked at the Deutchebank Championship again this past Labor Day weekend.  The kids spent Thursday through Sunday night at other peoples' houses.  Thanks Grandma, Grandpa, Nana, Papa, Auntie Courtney and Uncle Stevie!!!!  If it weren't for all the great people in our life we wouldn't be able to do this sort of thing that is important to us.  Anyway, the weather was perfect and we all had a great time.

Damn, Jackson just threw up.  A lot.  He's all clammy.  Damn, a ton more although now his breakfast is all out so it's not as messy anymore.  Poor kiddo, he's just a lump laying there.  Now he's asleep on the chair.  Poor Maddie doesn't know what's going on.