We have a First Grader

Today Owen starts his first day of 1st Grade with Ms. Witz.  He seemed really excited about going back to school, and I'm equally excited to get back on our school routine.  

Beverly Shores, Indiana

My friend Sarah's parents have a house in Beverly Shores, Indiana.  She invited our little

mom clan and tribes down for the day to have some fun in the lake.  It's beautiful and such

a short drive away from Chicago.  The kids had a blast and I think it's safe to say the

mommas did too.  I'm so thankful we have such a great group of friends.

State Fair

Today we drove to Milwaukee to go to the State Fair.  My dad had some tickets from one of

his insurance companies, and offered to let us have them.  We had never been and figured

the boys would have a good time.  Plus, Lisa and Dohse work there now, so not only did I

get to visit with them for a few minutes, but they were able to hook us up with some tickets. 

We went and looked at the animals, had a few snacks, the boys did a few rides, but the

majority of our time was spent on the games.  They love them!  Unfortunately for Ryan and

I, that's the most expensive part of the whole day.  I think we spent a total of two hours there

and were ready to leave because we had already spent a fortune!  But the boys left with a

few plastic swords and cheap stuffed animals, so they were happy.  The big score of the

day was Ryan's fluffy unicorn from Despicable me.  It's the hardest, least comfy

stuffed animal I've ever seen, but still cool nonetheless.

Thanks for the tickets Dad!  We all had a great time (especially Ryan)!!

Skokie Water Playground

After a summer packed full of swim lessons, all three kids are now in love with the water.

All they want to do these days is go to the pool.  Ryan and I decided to have a little fun and took them to the Skokie Water Playground.  We figured it would be fun to change it up and try something new.  It's a pool, mixed with a splash pad, mixed with a mini water park.  

They had tons of fun!  Though truthfully they spent the majority of the time in the main pool jumping off the side.  I just love seeing how comfortable they've all become in the water.  Owen has been a fish for awhile now, but Joe was always a little more timid and hated going under the water.  Now he's jumping in off the side, purposely going under the water, and I absolutely love seeing it!!  Even Miles will willing jump on the side on his own.  Amazing!!

Free Ride

Two on Two Wheels

Joe is officially riding a two wheeler...yay!!

Happy Birthday to Me!!

I'm sure I've said it multiple times before in multiple blogs, but Ryan truly is the most

thoughtful gift giver I know.  Yesterday morning I woke up to a stack of presents

on the dining room table.  

He knew I wanted some summer dresses so he picked out a few of those,

a fun white watch to accommodate my particularly active summer lifestyle,

and the boys picked me out some jewelry all on their own...Super fancy!

And to top it all off, Tara happened to be in town and I got to meet her for pedicures and

brunch.  We went to Parlor Pizza in Bucktown and it had the most amazing

Bloody Mary bar I've ever seen!!  

I loved it so much that Ryan and I took the kids back the very next day,

but this time we celebrated in a more family friendly style.

Thanks for making it such an extra special birthday weekend Ryan!!

You truly are the best and I love you more than you can even imagine!!

More Swim Lesson Fun

We're making big improvements in swim lessons this summer.  

Joe is learning to swim on his own,

Owen is perfecting his strokes,

and Miles even went off the diving board.  :)

And the best part for me is I have an exhausted group of kids when they're done.  
Yay swimming!! :)

Cousin Time

We try to go back to Wausau as often as we can for one main reason...We love being able
to spend time with family.  We don't need to be entertained, or do anything special.
It's the little things like hanging out and going for walks that are all we need.

 

Fore!!

It was a big day in the Kalita household....Owen got his first set of golf clubs!

Of course we had to go give them a test run on the range with Grandpa Jim.

He actually has a pretty good swing!  The best part is he lifts his front leg and then plants his

foot like he does when he swings the bat in t-ball.  Happy Gilmore would be proud. ;)

Even Joe and Miles wanted to join in on the action.

The next day there was a kids golf school going on at the Country Club,

so my dad signed Owen up.

With a little practice and some golf school direction,

he was ready for his first round of golf with my dad and Ryan.

It's so fun to watch him learn something new, and also see him share a hobby that Ryan,

Larry and my dad love so much!  Although he didn't say it, I'm pretty sure Ryan is

secretly ecstatic that he has a new golfing partner in the making.  

Wiggle Wiggle

I mean, how can you not be proud of these sweet dance moves??

The S. S. Smith

Hannah and Bobby bought a new pontoon boat this summer,

so we decided to spend some time out on the lake.

The boys even went tubing for the first time...which they LOVED!!!!

After a little bit of cruising and tubing we stopped at the sand bar so the kids could get out and play for a little while.  It was such a great way to spend the afternoon.

Thanks Hannah and Bobby!!  :)