Sports Camp

Scott and I signed Aaron and Helena up for Sport's Squirts camp this summer. They both love to play with soccer balls, basketballs, and baseball's out in our backyard and we knew that Sport's Squirts would be fun for both of them. The coaches were wonderful with all of the kids and Aaron and Helena loved learning about a new sport each day. The coaches used kid friendly vocabulary to introduce the equipment each day and taught them about each sport using children's characters and popular children's movies. It was so much fun to watch!

Listening to directions

Helena and her new friend, Mia, take a few minutes to chat

Playing "still as a statue"

Coach Rhodri and Coach James pose with Aaron and Helena on the last day of camp

17 Months Old

Natalie is now 17 months going on 4 years old. Although I like to think that she is still my baby, she reminds me on more than one occasion each day that she wants no part of being a baby. Her every moment is spent trying to play just like her older brother and sister and, for the most part, she does a pretty good job keeping up. Natalie is now able to run and walks very well. She is stable on the stairs and can make her way up with little assistance. She is able to say many words now and her laugh melts my heart.

Natalie wants no part of using a "baby swing", she sees Aaron and Helena use a "big kid swing" and she wants to do the same. After lots of practice and a little bit of stress on Mommy's part, Natalie is able to slowly swing on the "big kid swing" by herself, which is just as she likes it!

Summer vacation is exhausting!

Natalie fell asleep one early afternoon as I was pushing her gently on the swing.

Summer Fun

This summer is off to a great start! The kids have enjoyed a more relaxed schedule for sure, and our days are filled with lots of time spent outdoors. While I find myself exhausted at the day's end, the kids are just as tired, but we are having so much fun!

Aaron, Helena and Natalie cool off with popsicles in the "clubhouse"

I took Aaron and Helena to Stay and Play one afternoon to play on the water slides. They had such a great time climbing up and sliding down and to make it an even better afternoon, Aaron bumped into a friend from preschool and that made our day even better!

Aaron and Helena are quite the artists. They love to mix colors and paint pictures. The warm days are perfect for painting out on the breezeway, which provides shade and a cool breeze.

Splash Pad

Our first day of summer vactaion, I took the kids to the Splash Pad in Colchester to keep cool and have some fun! Natalie shrieked with delight when she saw the sprinklers turn on and Aaron and Helena played in the water all morning.

The girls take a break for lunch

Aaron loved dumping buckets of water over his head

Aaron finally takes a break for lunch

Tiny Dancer

Helena was so excited to perform in her very first dance recital this spring. This year she took a tap and ballet combo class and at the end of the year she performed her very first dance on stage to the music "Where did our love go?" She was so proud of herself and tried so hard on stage. Her brother was just as excited to watch her up on stage and he was even more excited to give her the flowers he picked out for her following the show! So cute!

Helena poses with her corsage from grandma and grandpa and flowers from Aaron!

Waiting to begin

Best Buds

16 Months

Natalie is now 16 months old and imitates what she sees around her. She likes to be right where the action is and she doesn't let her age or size hold her back from trying to keep up with those around her. She loves the water and playing out in the yard and she is beginning to run now that she is steady on her feet.

Trying out Daddy's Blackberry

Natalie can climb up the ladder and crawl into the "clubhouse" all by herself

Claiming Aaron and Helena's canteens for herself

Memorial Day 2011

Memorial Day Weekend was a busy weekend for the Anderson Family. We purchased a swingset for the kids and Scott spent an entire day assembling it, mostly by himself. The weather was beautiful and the kids put their suits on for the first time and ran through the sprinkler. We all enjoyed being outside after a long winter and a very wet spring! We all slept well at the end of each day!

Aaron, Helena and Natalie had a blast running through the sprinkler

Swingset assembly....2 hours in

4 hours in

6 hours in

9 hours later.....the swingset is complete and Aaron and Helena get to play!

Aaron and Helena love the swings most

More water fun!

Time to dry off and have a snack

15 months

Natalie is 15 months old now and is keeping up with her older brother and sister. She loves being outside in the yard and she is beginning to say more words now. She loves being independent, especially when it comes to feeding herself. We feel so blessed to have her in our lives!

Natalie practices using a spoon all by herself

Good to the last bite!

Vegetable Garden

Our big spring project was creating a raised garden bed so we could grow vegetables. Last year, our first attempt at gardening did not go as well as we hoped so after some research, Scott bought supplies and spent an entire weekend building the bed. We filled it with the right combination of compost, mulch and soil before we planted our veggies. The kids loved helping out every step of the way!

Natalie has her own ideas about assembling the garden bed

Helena decorates the wood with chalk

Aaron decorates too

Scott was so patient with the kids, allowing them to help with each step

Helping to carry bricks out to the site

All ready to begin filling the bed

Taking a break for lunch

Helping Daddy to remove the stones from the ground

Laying the bricks

Taking a short rest

Helena helps to rake the soil

Natalie loved getting her hands dirty

Aaron and Helena helped us to plant the seeds and label them