Beating the Heat

It has certainly been a hot July!  Here are some things we've been doing to beat the heat.

Jim had the week of the fourth off.  On the 4th of July, we did some fireworks in our backyard.  Ever safety-conscious, Jim made sure Jack wore safety goggles.

Sparklers!

That evening, we went to the Cardinals game.  We got to see fireworks at the stadium after the win!

Another day that week, we visited the City Garden and played in the fountains.

There's a big baby in there!

Jack plays t-ball on Saturday mornings.  Usually Jim takes him.  On one particular hot Saturday, Patrick and I tagged along.  We saw some catching...

...or almost catching (notice the ball in the bottom of the picture).

He did well with the grounders (utilizing the "Alligator Chomp" method).

Of course, there was hitting, too.

We were able to catch up with friends at the annual ND picnic. 

The boys and I went to one of Jim's softball games.  After watching him bat, we went to the playground where we played with some friends.

Reilly's Daddy's team was playing Jim's team.

Anna chose to hang at the playground instead of the ball field, too.

Last week, we went to Margo's 5th birthday party.  You'll never guess where it was.

The kids got to wear fun hats.

Patrick enjoyed the venue.

This cutie didn't get to partake in any burgers or fries, but he enjoyed himself, too.

Today was Margo's actual birthday and we met her at the Zoo.  The kids got to pet sting rays and sharks!

We rode the train (of course).

Evan seemed to enjoy the train, too.

Jack and Margo are cracking up about something.  Happy birthday, Margo!

Next week I am going to take senior pictures of my friend's niece.  I am pretty excited!  To prepare, I enlisted the help of 2 of my cousins (who are sophomores in college) and 2 of their friends.  We met a few nights ago and took pictures at a couple locations in Forest Park.  They were such troopers - it was really hot (I think we were under an excessive heat warning).  I had a lot of fun and we got some good shots. 

Thanks, ladies!



Michigan, Part II

The morning after Michael and Kathleen's wedding, the boys and I went back up to Michigan.  My parents rented a cottage for the week and the entire family minus Jim, Michael, and Kathleen got to spend the week together at one of our favorite places.

We went to Craig's Cruisers and Jack rode with Papa.  He loved it!

Ryan was big enough to drive himself!

Patrick took Lukas and Uncle David drove Adam.

Patrick wasn't big enough to ride, so he just tried to break into the slick track.  You must be 16 years old to ride those cars.  I didn't have the heart to tell him it would be a loooong time before he gets to go in there.

When he couldn't open the gate, our little monkey started to climb the fence.

One morning we went to breakfast with Nana and Papa, and then got to play in a toy store for awhile.

Patrick found a baby doll to hold.  I think he is getting ready for his little brother or sister.

Let's hope he doesn't try to open his little sibling's eyes.

After the toy store, it was off to the playground!

The five Nahm grandsons:

It was especially nice to spend a lot of time with Uncle David and Aunt Melanie, who were visiting from Australia!

The kids loved running down this giant sand dune.

Kisses for Aunt Melanie!

Everyone enjoyed some beach time, too.  I didn't have my camera down at the beach too much, so I don't have many pictures.

Ryan practiced his body boarding.

Family picture at sunset:

 Jack got to do sparklers for the first time (in his pajamas):

 My mom, me, and my big belly: