Bowling with dad

We were able to get signed up for a free summer of bowling.  Each kid gets 2 free games every single day of the summer.  We just have to pay for shoes. We grabbed dad on Saturday and got in one more morning of bowling. Sam wasn't thrilled he was there even though he was actually beating Jon for most of the first game.

Watching Zach is the best part of bowling.  The ball goes pretty slow down the lane so he has plenty of time to sit down and tell it which way to go.

Jon kicked butt on the second game.  It helped that he started the game with a turkey!

Fair

We headed to the Cuyahoga County Fair last week.  It was a hot one, but I think everyone had a good time.

The carousel was definitely the favorite. The line was short, everyone could go on at the same time and it was a nice break from the sun.

Sam was incredibly bummed he was too tall for the roller coaster this year.  Ellie and Zach tried it out and HATED it with a passion!

Sam and Zach did bumper cars with dad.  Ben was able to go by himself, but he almost choked himself because he didn't think to put the cord around his chest, not his neck! We're still waiting for the common sense to kick in!

We had some goof fair food, played some games, won some prizes and got really dirty.  Its always fun to do things like that, but I'm happy to wait another year before we go back!

Finally

We did it, we got Ben to cut his hair.  The deal was he could keep it long, if he combed it and looked nice for church.  He was not holding up his end of the bargain. He was not happy about cutting it so we threw in a couple bribes and life was good again.  The ridiculous part is that he actually really likes it like this.  Its a little longer on the top so we've had some fun styling it.  Next up, colors!

#8

Ben lost another tooth this week.  8 are gone and its becoming more and more clear that the boy is going to need major dental work!

1st day

Almost 2 weeks ago, Sam told me he wanted to start school August 5th.  He didn't know why he picked that date.  It just sounded good to him.

I think he's a little excited about his new desk and being a big guy like Ben.  What ever the reason, I was happy to start today.  We're easing in since its so early.  So far so good.

Ellie and Zach insisted on pictures too!

Homeschool in the pj's.  We are the stereotype!

Cheese

We ended our 4 day "Corries home" celebration by going to Donatos for lunch after church.  They've always loved the cheese, but they took it to a new level this weekend!

Just like daddy

Its a good thing they look good in glasses, at least Ben is going to need them soon enough.

Bowling

With temperatures in the mid 90's, we decided to beat the heat and hit the (very air conditioned) bowling alley.

Ben won the first game and Sam won the second.  Zach and Ellie put up a good fight though.  It was a fun way to spend a hot morning.

Back to school

Last year Ben did his school work anywhere the babies weren't.  Bed was a popular choice as well as the counter, living room, deck and even the basement.  Now that Sam will be a first grader we thought they should have a real spot to do work.  We got them each a desk and turned the spare bedroom into a "work room."  I'm sure we'll still have plenty of school sessions all over the house this year, but at least they have their own space when needed and I wont find papers and other supplies all over the house. Actually, I'm sure I will!

We still have a few maps and odds and ends to hang, but I think it looks pretty good.

Wordless Wednesday: Glamour girl

His good side

Ellie loves to take pictures on our phones.  She has a great eye and even better timing!

Chuck E.

Every once and a long while we take the kids up to Chuck E Cheese to play for a bit.  They each get a few coins and when they're gone, they're done.  We did that last week and they had a blast.  I thought it was really, really loud, but at least I bought us a few more weeks before we have to endure that again!

Wordless Wednesday: Gentleman

Visit

Gram came over for a visit last night.  They love to play the baby wake up game.  We have weird kids!

Opposite ends

Ben found out he was grounded!

Sam got some good news!

Wordless Wednesday: Torture or willing participant?

Best buds

We love these guys.

Ellie Day

We celebrated Ellie day yesterday.  She has officially been a Purdum for 4 years.  I think she had a good day.  She was definitely spoiled.  She got her dog back, she got to pick lunch and dinner, she got ice cream and we had cake and neighbors over after dinner.

It was a good day.

4th

The 4th started off great.  We went to the pool, we had a cook out and good treats.  We decided to hang out on our street for a low key night.  Neighbors were hosting a bon fire and we were going to do sparklers.  We weren't sure that we would see any "real fireworks."

The kids had a blast with their friends. We set off a few fireworks and even though our city wasn't putting on its own display, we still saw plenty of them.   The kids had a great view of the show from their rooms. Thats when things went very wrong.  Jon took Charlie out and the fireworks spooked him and he took off.  We serched for him, Jon and a neighbor searched for him, but after about 3 hrs, they took a break and decided to resume the search in the morning.  The kids were devastated.  It turned into a very long night. We headed back out first thing this morning and checked in with all the usual places. Just before noon we got a call that someone had picked him up.  He was full of ticks and his paws are a mess, but he's home and we have some very happy kids!

VBS

I know, I've been slacking again.  Time is just flying by the past few weeks.  

Ben, Sam and Ellie went with some neighbors to VBS their church was hosting.  The kids had a blast and Zach and I had some awesome one on one time.  We spent the week running errands, going to the pool, playing with friends, going to the park and enjoyed a very quiet, fight free week.  

After Jon got home, we took Ellie and Zach to their very first movie.  They loved playing with the recliners, but the highlight was the steady stream of pop corn and candy.  I think they had a blast!

He was so proud of himself for mastering the pole!