The summer has come and gone

I can't believe that summer has come and gone. It seems like we waited and waited for it to come, and then the warm breezy days danced away before enough of them were enjoyed outside. Thankfully, fall is here and upon us, and I'm enjoying the much cooler weather. Give me a 60 degree day where I can where jeans and a sweatshirt, and I'll be happy to go and play outside.

We've been having a good time with the families from our small group. It's amazing how much fun it has been for the kids to get together and play. This picture is from Harper's birthday party where the kids found a fuzzy catepilar to play with on the ground. We've been so thankful to be surrounded by so many young and growing families at our church. What an encouragement that has been!

Melodie has been quite funny lately. It seems as though two weeks ago, someone flipped on her imagination, and now she has her own little pretend world. She likes to pick fake things up out of a bowl and eat them, or color with them, etc. It's been a lot of fun to see her personality come out more and more. We're so thankful for her.

Even though summer came and went quickly, it still was full of stuff. My friend Sara got married, and Ryan and I enjoyed a wonderful wedding, and time meeting some new friends. there even was a bagpiper at the ceremony, which was a first for us, but oh so cool. Ryan was a little concerned though, when I questioned whether the bagpiper went "COMPLETELY" traditional in his garb...alas, a question we'll never know the answer too...

Back in July, Melodie was potty-trained, and yes, I felt the need to post the obligatory picture of her on the pot. She did a great job, and I was thankful that it was done by Bailey's due date. A random goal, but a goal that Melodie helped meet, and it was nice to have something to celebrate on that day. We went out to Balistreri's Pizzeria, to remember our second girlie with, and were pleasantly surprised at Melodie being able to go "potty" in a public bathroom. Way to go kiddo! We're proud of you!

As has become an annual tradition, we took a trip to Noah's Ark, in the Wisconsin Dells to celebrate Ryan's birthday in August. We spent the majority of our time at "Tadpole Bay" going down the water slide there, and playing with the water tables, and buckets that dumped every 5-10 minutes. We had a great time, and I look forward to going back with Melodie again next year, and seeing how much more she's able to do.

We went with Ana, her brother Gabriel, Ari and Madeline, and had a great time. The cousins got along great, and I'm glad that they were in town to share the day with.

As always, Melodie still loves going to Brewer games, and I think she may have a future as a sports caster, as she regularly follows the games and exclaims in a low voice, "strike!' "Ball!" "Safe!" or "You'rrrrrrrrrre out!". She's pretty entertaining, especially when "Uncle Bill" (our usher) comes around. She loves "Uncle Bill", and he seems to love giving her programs or schedules. It's been pretty cute.