July summer fun

Fun at the library

Ryder and Harper are participating in our library's summer reading program. In addition to keeping track of the books they read for prizes, there is an activity every Friday afternoon. The theme for the program is "A Universe of Stories", so one week they made galactic slime and another time they made constellation nightlights. The program runs a few more weeks, so I'm interested to see what else they will get to do.

Off to see the Wizard!

Through the summer camp program, Ryder, Harper and I received free tickets to attend a production of The Wizard of Oz at a local playhouse. I was excited to go but a little nervous about how Shepherd would do since we would be sitting still for over an hour. I fed him right before we left, and then wore him in the Baby Bjorn when we got there. As we waited in line for the doors to open, he dozed off. It wasn't until the lights dimmed and the play began that his little eyes popped open and he watched the entire show like the rest of us! We were seated in the second row, so there were times I was afraid he would get startled or scared when the wicked witch cackled loudly or the actors came down off the stage and through the audience. Nope! He just stared intently until the end when he started getting sleepy and dozed back off. I was so proud of him! And I'm so thankful Ryder and Harper were able to enjoy the show. :) 

In our seats, waiting for the show to begin.

Harper wanted "Dorothy braids" for the occasion, and the closest thing she had to a blue and white dress was her turquoise and white tie-dye dress.

Harper was excited to meet Dorothy and hold Toto after the show. She got Dorothy's autograph, and Ryder got the Lion's.

While Shepherd played on his mat, Ryder wanted to read to him. I cracked up at the books he picked out: one was about the Bermuda Triangle and the other Albert Einstein. Shepherd is going to be one smart little guy!

Harper lost her 3rd tooth!

Catching up with friends
One of my good friends/coworkers from FL is originally from NY and just moved back up here in June to be closer to family. We live about 2.5 hours from each other, so we found a halfway point and got together one day last week. Rebecca has 2 kiddos: a daughter who is right between Ryder and Harper, and a son who is almost 3. We went to the same children's museum where Harper had her field trip, ate at a cute restaurant along the Hudson River, and stopped at a playground before heading our separate ways again. She is my only friend I've seen since we moved up here, and it was so nice to catch up with her and visit like old times. We're going to try to get together once a month, so I'm looking forward to our next visit already!

lunch by the river

We followed the sidewalk from the restaurant to the playground, and Rebecca snapped this cute picture of the kids together.

Ryder, Makaela, and Harper pretended they were being eaten by this rock formation!

A day at the lake

Andrew's boss Scott has a pontoon boat, and on Saturday he invited us to join him and his daughter Nicole for a day on the water. The weather couldn't have been better, and it was a great day for swimming or just sitting in the shade (like Shepherd and I did). After the boat ride we hung out by the dock and grilled some burgers, watching the kids run around and play. It was a perfect summer day!

Ryder was happy to get a turn driving the boat!