We've been spending alot of time doing a little of this ...
and a little of this ...
mixed in with a little of this ...
and this ...
and a whole lot of this ...

ahhhh summer how we have missed you and happily welcome you back.

Colin LOVES bubbles. They play them often at daycare and he always excited talks about him and Paityn or him and Jack will "POP! them with hands!" When he gets home, he often and frequently asks to play bubbles. So needless to say, we've been playing alot of bubbles in the backyard lately. He alternates from using this cute Monkey bubble blower to wanting us to use good ole fashion bubbles from a bottle. Here's a few pictures from the other night.

Colin is obsessed with airplanes, so we took him to observation park to watch them.

Colin being an airplane.

Colin playing while he waits for the next airplane.

There's one...

there's another...

and another

Self Portrait

Rare family picture

One of the things I look forward to most each year is apple picking. Every year we go to the same place - a small family owned apple orchard about 25 minutes north of here which never seems to change. Each year there is the large "rocking" chair, pumpkin patch, fabulous apple cider, the corn maze, tractor rides, and the same wooden signs that you can put your face through. (Do those have a real name?)

Mike and I have been anxiously waiting for the apple picking season, so we can start Colin on this fun tradition. Shockingly we both had the day off, so with the sun shining and the weather a decent tempature, we headed on the familiar drive to the apple orchard.

We met my parents, Merridith and Ethan up there and had a great afternoon of apple picking, picture taking, and creating memories. Colin did a great job and seemed to have a great time riding the tractor, licking the apples, eating the grass and posing for pictures (some by other people even!).

We took over 100 pictures, so I had a hard time chosing just 50 for the slideshow. Here is a good mixture of our fun afternoon.

{Angela: Although Colin probably didn't eat enough apples for you and Michelle, he tried his best to lick them enough. I promise you that Ethan, however did eat enough for both of you! It wasn't the same without you. The chair missed you!

Missy: We wish you could have been there too!!! Just a couple more years until we can do these things together ... with little Lukey and Lily too :) }

Apparently a true addict would have slurped the diet coke off the floor.

Thanks for trying to make me feel better about myself :)

I lead a pretty clean life. Ive never been into drugs. I rarely drink anymore, and when I do it is in moderation (unless it involves fishbowls and then moderation is thrown out of the proverbial strip mall window). I don't smoke. Don't drink coffee.

My one vice in life - my one bad habit, is my addiction to Diet pop.

(soft drink
n. In both senses also called soda pop; also called regionally cold drink, drink; Also called pop, soda; Also called soda water, tonic.
A nonalcoholic, flavored, carbonated beverage, usually commercially prepared and sold in bottles or cans.)

My relationship with pop spans at least a decade. I always knew I had a problem with my love of diet pop. When you have to go to the grocery store simply to buy pop, you know you drink too much pop.

Tonight, I discovered that my addiction is real. I need to sit in a group of people, hold hands, chant and tell my story.

My name is Kristi, and I am a pop-aholic.

I went to the kitchen to pour myself a glass of you guessed it - Diet Coke. A brand new 2-Liter of cold Diet goodness.

Somehow, the bottle slipped out of my hands before I could open it, and it bounced across my kitchen floor. I picked it up and saw that yummy foam rising inside the bottle, but decided it wasn't enough to make it explode. Wait a few minutes, tap the cap, and I should be good to go. Right? So, I pointed the bottle towards the sink (just in case) and slowly unscrewed the cap.

Then, all hell broke loose. That Diet Coke blew up. I turned my head and tried to aim it into the drain, but it didn't stop the flow of foamy lava. I felt my t-shirt become saturated. It was unstoppable. Finally, the explosion died down and I stepped back to look at the damage.

My kitchen was COVERED with Diet Coke. Completely covered. The counter; covered. My stove; covered. The refrigerator including pictures Russell, Emma and Ethan drew; covered. The hardwood floors; a nice thin layer of Diet Coke.

And I knew my addiction was real when the first thing I did was pick up the bottle and look to see if there was any left to drink. I poured the last few ounces left over into my glass and drank it. Then I was ready to clean up the mess.