2 months later! Vacation and Uncle Joel's Wedding

Yes, it has been 2 whole months since I blogged!!!   I can't believe how time has flown once again.  In my defense, I started a new job beginning of August, and if you don't already know this about me, I tend to get tunnel vision with these things like this.:)  I am loving teaching 6th grade choir, and feeling much better now that I know school procedures and student names.  Also knowing that I have students prepared to sing for a concert this Thursday in the park is a big relief!  Not surprisingly, the worst part about the job is that it breaks up my day, and I already had a bad attitude about carting kids to school and back so now I am also adding in carting myself.  It is worth it for me though, because I do enjoy it!

Some recap of August:
Vacation at Lake of the Ozarks

Exploring the room

We swam in the pool more then the lake!

Emmit happily watched the action from the stroller

Mat took the kids and then I did.  Would love to own one of these one day!

Eating at a restaurant along the lake.  Yummy grilled chicken!

These fish were HUGE!  They had fish food in the restaurant that you could get and then go out and feed the fish. 

This brought back memories from when I went to Pelican Lake in MN when I was kid.  I used to get these at the candy store there, and have not seen them since then!

The indoor pool at the resort.  It was great to have options when it rained! I had to convince Lincoln to use the outside one after we saw this one.  He is sort of an all around indoor boy.  Wonder where he gets that from?:) Hint: NOT ME!

Lyla playing with sand toys while Lincoln and Matt and I played volleyball.

Swimming in the lake.  We went fishing earlier, and while we were swimming Lyla figured out that since there was fish in the lake when we fished, there was fish in the lake while we swam.  She seemed a little unsettled with this idea!

Joel and Bethany's Wedding in Kansas City:

Rehearsal! I think the kids were taking goofy pics with Uncle Zeb here.

Aunt Stephany lovin on Emmit

All the nephews/nieces walked in before Bethany.  The girls had bubbles and the boys had basketballs.  Bethany's niece was in a pink wagon - it was really adorable! 

swimming at the hotel pool

Steph did Lyla and Brooklyn's hair- super cute!

Love how Brooklyn is posing here

Pathetic I know but this is the best pic I got of the bride and groom!  I guess I was figuring I would order some later! Bethany was a beautiful bride!

Old Pig-Donald

We started piano lessons this summer and Lincoln seems to really like it.  Right now he is go eager to play he often does it first thing when he wakes up... We all sleep in around here when we can so that is of course not so great.  I really don't want to discourage it though, so I have been careful about putting too many parameters around practicing times!  He also asks me to do a lesson about every other day.  He is a big fan of getting to put a sticker on the page when he passes it.  My intention was to do once a week, but again, I am trying not to stifle the enthusiasm!  Piano is a little out of tune but we are taking care of that tomorrow! You will notice at the end when he looks at the camera that he has a new look.  I always think kids look so much older when they lose their teeth.  He seems to have really grown up on us in the last year. Getting a little choked up as I write that.  I have had a hard time thinking about this Kindergarten thing lately and it will be an adjustment for us all.

More Summer

I had some friends over one day for a water party.  The water balloons were a big hit.  I was glad I didn't spend time filling up all of them, because most the fun seemed to be the process of filling them up with the hose.  Plus it would have taken me a really long time to fill them all up by myself!

Brooklyn looks like she got Lincoln pretty good here.

Brock and Toby

Bridal shower for Joel's (matt's brother) fiance Bethany.  We are excited she is going to be a Schroeder soon!

At the zoo with friends Erin, Emily, and Ellie.

Enjoying the new picnic table.  I got this as well as a new patio set this summer.  I really like not having to clean up a messy kitchen table!

Swimming at the Y.  Lyla was real happy about the picture.

Crazy but it's actually been cool enough we have been able to take him along twice now.  Enjoying a nap on the lounge chair.

5 weeks

Day trip to KC for Abby's birthday party.  Noelle was a big help referreeing Lincoln and Irelyn in the back.

Fun to have all the Tofteland cousins together!

Lot's of cuties

Love the first smiles!

4th of July

We couldn't do firecrackers in Bel Aire before the 4th, so a couple days before we went and did some in Park City, which is only a few miles from out house.

We bought a van!  Just in time for the trip to NE to visit Gp Ed and Gm Pam.  It has been so nice and I can't imagine not having it now!

  

We had fun riding- even I did it this time!

Visiting Great-Grandma.  Hope you are reading this blog Deloris!  Matt spent some time helping her with the computer while we were there so hope she can!

Lyla has come along way with all the cats.  She used to be kind of scared of them but now she seems to really love them.  Those rain boots she is wearing are probably her favorite shoes.  She wears them all the time!  Those and flip flops because they go on and off so easy probably!

Shooting tanks and seeing who "won."  I didn't get it, they all looked the same to me. LOL

Grandma is a great cuddler.

Summer Y classes

Here I go again being late on my posts.  Sigh.  Ah well.  Summer has been a whirlwind of fun and I can't believe school is going to be starting in another couple weeks! I signed the kids up for way to many activities at the Y this month.  I think I was trying to cram in stuff before school starts.  I have to say, I am tired of running them around, but at least they seem to be having alot of fun doing everything.

Lincoln took a rockclimbing class this month once a week.  It ended up being a real pain because there were so many kids in the class he ended up only getting one turn.  Hauling 3 kids to a 45 min. class for a 4 min. climb.  Annoying.  He does seem to enjoy watching the other kids climb, but I don't think we'll be doing this again in the summer at least. I know, he is wearing sandals. whoops.  I didn't notice until he got there!  He still made it up to the top this time, although he tells me that was the easy one.   The 2nd class he tried the "2nd easiest" and made it, but this last time he tried the "3rd easiest" and got stuck.  I think he wants to try that one again tomorrow.

Tap/ballet class.

They switch shoes halfway through. All the girls have cute little bags with their shoes.  It's pretty cute.

Gymnastics.  Seemed to like this more then dance.

Swimming Lessons. Lincoln can swim for longer periods now, and Lyla can swim now. Hurray!  She didn't even seem close to me prior to lessons so that was a nice surprise.  They had a really great teacher this year.

  

Doing karate two times a week this month.  I am kind of surprised he likes it.  I guess I thought he might be intimidated but he gets right in there.  He can count in Japanese to 5 now.  When I was asking him to do it for me, Lyla piped up and said "I know one"... and then said the word for 5.   Kids are sponges!

video of lyla saying and signing the animal alphabet

Throughout the year I would ask Lyla what she was doing/learning at preschool and didn't get much of a response.  I knew she was learning sounds/actions to letters but she would usually just do a few and then say she forgot the rest.  At the end of the year, she surprised me by telling me she wanted to do them all for me.  I ran and got the camera in case I couldnt get her to do it again!  She has a cold and is doing the baby voice thing, I think because she is a little embarassed because she knows I am taping...but hey, she makes it through the whole alphabet!