Who needs a pool??

One of the biggest adjustments for the kids since the move has been not having access to a pool like we did in Kentucky. Especially for Jake since he's the one who is home all day while the girls are in school. He does enjoy taking baths and when I walked in to check on him the other day, this is what I found. Jake in his goggles and swim trunks swimming and splashing and making the best of the situation. He's also been totally into the Olympics, especially the swimming and all the attention on the amazing Michael Phelps.

Krysta's Move to Tampa

We had a good, and busy trip to Tampa while moving Krysta into her dorm. She and Jeff drove and before they were even out of St. Louis, she had car trouble. Thankfully, they were able to get to a dealer and get what was wrong fixed and thankfully, at the expense of the dealership who had just put in new brakes and had done it wrong. Nice!!

I think the most noticeable change for Krysta was the HUMIDITY as she got out of her car. Welcome to Florida is all I can say about that. It was good getting to see a few families from back in Cincinnati and since Tampa is home for me, it's always a good time to see old FL friends from church and on the campus.

Jeff & I finally got out to a movie (kid free) and saw The Dark Knight. We also squeezed in a pre-season Tampa Bay Bucs game that was great to watch. I went out and visited my grandmother and aunt and had fun doing some last minute shopping for Krysta and picking up souvenirs for the three back at home.

Of course, it wouldn't be natural to move into the dorms without the threat of a hurricane and that's just what we got... Fay!! But, we got out Monday night and turns out, the hurricane never even got near Tampa... of course!!

Another big thanks to my parents for coming and helping out with the kids while we were gone. They had fun taking them to the Arch and going out to eat. Also, they got more boxes emptied for us and got some little jobs done for us and that was nice to come home to.

There She Goes...

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Krysta packed and loaded up her car today to head to Tampa, Florida for first year in college. Do we really have a daughter going to college? We have enjoyed having Krysta with us this last month in St. Louis... we actually got to see her and spend time with her since she wasn't working. And, we think she enjoyed the time off for a few weeks to sleep in... watch movies... and just chill before she has to get serious again with her studies, etc. A HUGE thank you to GranC and Granddaddy Mike for coming in from Texas to help with the other kiddos while we are gone helping Krysta get moved in.

Happy Birthday Nat!

Today Natalie turns 14 years old and it is also her first day of High School. I think I've posted before how much Natalie DOES NOT like school. So, to have her first day in High School, in a new area, on her birthday... well... let's just say she was less than thrilled to be waking up at 6 a.m. to catch the bus at 6:40. We had a little celebration for her over the weekend with some of her friends that she knows from the Ohio camp who live nearby. Tonight, we will take her out for dinner for a family celebration. Happy Birthday Nat! We love you!

Grandparents come for a Visit

Jeff's parents came for a visit this weekend from Kansas City. The trip to come see us has gone from a 10 hour drive to about a 3 1/2 hour drive so that is nice. We spent most of the day on Saturday doing jobs around the house and got quite a bit done with their help. Saturday night we went downtown for dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory and it was delicious. Then, we headed over to the City Museum for an hour of fun for Maggie & Jake. Although from what I heard (we split up into 2 groups), Granddaddy Jack seemed to have as much fun if not more than the kids did. This is definitely a place we want to go back to when we have more time. Very cool!