On a side note...

I know there have been a lot of updates today.  But I needed to share a couple of things extra.   First, Carson has switched from saying "Mama" and "Dada" to saying "Mommy" and "Daddy".  It's super cute how he says it but it still makes me sad.  At his two year doctor appointment we learned he is 36.5 inches tall (95%, about the height of the average three year old) and 29.2 lbs (50%).  I was very wrong with my guess on the number of words he knows, I guessed 15.... WRONG he knows closer to 40. He has a distinct way of saying them so that I can tell what he means but the average person wouldn't know.  Just like Kayda and Dillon.

Secondly, the pictures of Papa G with the kids were all taken on their camera.  So Grandma G had to email them all to me.  It can be a long, annoying process to email those pictures so thanks Grandma G.  The reason I'm sharing this is because I found her subject headings incredibly entertaining and felt like sharing them.... Here they are, in chronological order....

photos

one more pool

shooting 

more shooting

wish I could do this right

again

can't figure out how to reduce the size

so much easier on the ipad

almost done

done

Apparently it was more difficult than usual.  Love you Grandma G!  Thanks for your trouble!  It was a good laugh for a hectic, somewhat frustrating evening!

At the Gun Range with Papa G!

Since retiring Papa G has picked up a new hobby, he likes to go visit the gun range.  So he brought me, I had a good old time.  Then I decided the kids should go too, before school starts.  So we brought Kayda and Dillon to the gun range so they could try their hand at a kid's 22 rifle.  

 Ear and Eye Protection... Check!

 Loading the rifle

 This little lady was a pretty good shot!  She got two bullseyes in the course of the day!

 Papa talked through all the mechanics of the gun before each kid shot.  Here he is explaining how to hold the rifle against your shoulder.  Between bebe gun practice and hearing all the rules about guns over and over again I have NO worries about these kiddos going to the gun range with Papa G.

 Ready...Aim...Fire!

 The target was at ten yards. 

 Dillon was done shooting after 10 shots.  So he and I played with the camera... and picked blackberries... and balanced on curbs in the parking lot.

 I think Kayda could've shot quite happily for hours.  Maybe she and Papa G can go out to the gun range alone sometime and shoot side by side.  She's quite competent.  

 Here is the target both Kayda and Dillon shot at.  Dillon's is just up and to the right of the center.  If he had the patience I'm sure he would've gotten a bullseye too. 

 She wanted to shoot standing up too. 

 This target is all Kayda.  It started at 25 yards but she liked having it closer so she eventually pulled it back up to ten. 

 After the kids were done shooting Papa G and I got to go shoot trap.  Kayda loved loading it!

Dillon handed us the shells!  They had a BLAST watching us shoot trap.  The each had their little jobs and probably would've done it quite happily for some time yet!

Swimming with Papa G

Grandma and Papa G come to visit, often spur of the moment, for a reason like bringing me something, a pump, the pool, kids stuff they found, etc.  Well on one such occasion Papa G had his swimsuit and the kids were more than happy to swim with him!  It's nice having Papa retired!

Last day of Swimming!

Today was the last swim lesson.  Kayda and Dillon have made some progress with their endurance and with their side breathing and Carson has gotten pretty comfortable in the BIG pool.  

 We were trying to get him to jump to Daddy... He gave Daddy the cold shoulder and giggled about it...

These are NOT kids that are afraid of the diving board that's for sure!

School Open House

Today was the school open house.  The kids got to go meet their teachers.  Of course, we're only a few days away from starting school so it was time for haircuts.  

 I had to remedy Kayda's last haircut.  I LOVE her hair short, course I LOVE it long too...all in time.  Like Carson's "cheese" face?

 Look at that stud!  So cute!

 At school!

After rushing to see both classrooms in 30 minutes we had to run to swim lessons for the last lesson!  That's coming up soon/

The Clydesdales are Coming!

Apparently someone in our neighborhood won a Budweiser prize...  We are not drinkers but when you see posters around your neighborhood advertising the arrival of horses and you have children who love nothing more than horses... You're going to take them and go check it out.  So we went about 5 blocks down the street and watched the horses be unloaded, harnessed and attached to the carriage.  Then we went to the home of the people who won and hung out by the curb until they came strolling down the road.  They had the Dalmatian "Chip" with them and he spent most of the time wandering among the crowd!  The horses go from place to place about 340 days a year and are based in Missouri.  The horses were all around 8ft tall.  They were super impressive and the kids were FASCINATED!

 Afterwards they even went right by our house!