Yesterday was quite uneventful. I moved rocks and spread pesticide for the majority of the day. Chris wasn't happy with me since I wouldn't let him work out in the yard until he gets his epi pen. He doesn't understand my logic that he shouldn't be working in the yard when he runs the risk of dying! Hopefully he will get it filled today so he can haul some rocks tonight. I'm not big on moving 4 tons of rock on my own. Melissa and Sophia came over for a quick swim in the morning and Sophia watched Toy Story with the boys. Ethan was happy to have his favorite dinner. We haven't had it in over a month since we have had so many visitors. He ate two plates of baked chicken, rice, carrot, potatoes, and gravy! Last night Will and Noah had their first sleepover at Melissa's house. Ethan spent the night at Emily's. Yes, we were kid-free. What did I do with all of that spare time, hmm, let's see... I shoveled more rocks, gave Hanzie a bath, read my magazine, and went to sleep. Very thrilling!

Chris' Father's Day turned out to be quite eventful. I came home from grocery shopping and he was swollen beyond belief. His entire body was about 10 times it's normal size. Luckily Tim and Liz were still here and Tim whisked him off to the ER. Long story short, he is HIGHLY allergic to fire ants and now must carry an epi pen with him wherever he goes. He was still feeling strange today at work so he may be coming home early. Hopefully it doesn't represent like it did last night!

On our latest trip to the beach the kids were treated with sky divers that landed right in front of them and an airplane show. Caroline was convinced that they would keep dropping out of the sky if we just hung out for a bit longer.

Will tried out the skim board. He experienced a lot of crashes, but enjoyed it none the less.

The boys LOVED playing in the waves. They could have stayed out there the entire day.

We had a great visit with our old neighbors from Annapolis. Tim and Liz arrived Thursday afternoon with their kids, Colin and Caroline, after a stay at Disney. The kids all got along and seemed to keep each other busy their entire stay. We mostly did the beach/pool gig.
Chris' "Ah..." picture of Tim and Liz.
Colin and Will got along GREAT! They were more than happy to be the entertainers of the group. They would do just about anything to try to get a laugh out of everyone.
Miss Caroline wasn't too interested in the boys. She seemed to have a good time anyway. She liked the beach and pool and went shopping with the moms.

Today Melissa came over and helped me plant some more stuff in the yard. They were donations from her yard. It is starting to look much better out there. I'll post some pictures once we get our rocks in. My mom and sister left last night at bedtime. Mike and Melissa came over last night with some take-out for Chris' birthday and they watched the Germany World Cup game. Luckily they won in the last minute. Chris had his Deutscher jacket on for team support. Tim and Liz, our old neighbors from Annapolis, arrive tonight with their two kids. I'm sure the boys will have a blast during their last few days of visitors. They will probably be totally bored next week when everyone is gone.

That's a lot of fire!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CHRIS!! Tonight we celebrated Chris' birthday. We had a delicious cake with sparkler candles! The boys were very impatient and made him open his presents before he left for work. Hopefully he liked what we picked out. Aidan was the most anxious to get his cake. He sat patiently while we prepped everything and was ready to dig in!

They were all ready for a carriage ride in the rain!
Will chatted with Mary Poppins for a bit.
Alice was quite kind to the group. Aidan was more interested in the waffle that he was just pulled away from to have his picture taken with some strange lady.
Tigger was the funniest of the bunch. He made everyone at the table hug him!

Today we went to a character brunch at Disney World. We went to the Grand Floridian. The kids all had fun. Alina was initially scared of the characters, but seemed to tolerate them at the end. The one character she liked a lot was Alice. After breakfast Lori, my mom, Alina, Aidan, and Ethan went to Downtown Disney in the pouring rain. I took Will and Noah to Universal to ride Jimmy Nuetron and Shrek.

Aidan enjoyed his very yummy, very chocolate cake!
Aidan was a bit surprised to find out that he was one! He was shocked that he would have to face the pressures of being a 1-year-old.
Alina, Ethan, Will, Noah, Emma, Paige, and Sophia helped him celebrate!

Last night we celebrated Aidan's 1st birthday! He took quite a few steps to prove that he was a big boy. He nearly walked across the entire living room! And we must not forget that today is Pop-Pop Bob's (aka Dad's) birthday! hApPy BiRtHdAy!

Alina and Aidan are here! The boys are very excited to have Grandma Ann, Aunt Lori, Alina, and Aidan here. Today is Aidan's 1st birthday so we are going to party tonight! Last night we took a stroll on the beach and we spent the day in the pool.

Ethan posing for Daddy's camera.
Will enjoying his kite flying success!

Noah making a sand angel. A right of summer!


Last night we went to the beach to fly kites. It was the one time that it wasn't super windy. It was breezy enough to get the kite up a few times so Will and Noah each had a nice kite run. Of course Noah nearly landed our gigantic kite on a shuffle board court filled with people, but that is just klutzy Noah! Emily spent the night last night and then we woke up this morning, went swimming, and then headed off to the movies. The boys are anxiously awaiting Grandma Ann, Aunt Lori, Alina, and Aidan's arrival tomorrow morning!

Today has been so quiet it's almost eerie. Ethan has been at his friend Emily's house all morning so Will and Noah have had control of their day. They have been playing with Play-Doh, Plan City, etc with no interruptions or bullying. It's made for a peaceful day for me as well! (Kate- here are the new tables.)

We had a fabulous time at Universal yesterday. We started the day at Islands of Adventure and then moved over to Universal Studios. The boys each had their favorite ride and were also equally terrified of a ride, or two, or three! It was very hot but we were having so much fun it was barely noticable. The boys were already asking to go back the next day before we even left the park! Luckily our passes are good for two years so we have two years of endless fun ahead of us!

Here the boys are just inside the gates of Universal Studios. Noah was clearly thrilled to be there!
Here Will is relaxing at the Cheesecake Factory. Melissa and I exhibited much willpower and only ordered drinks!

The boys said hello to the Cat in the Hat and the Grinch. Ethan had his first solo roller coaster riding experience! He is tall enough to ride on his own now which makes it easier for us since we only have to go through the lines once now.

I may have had the most fun! Will got me thoroughly drenched on the One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish ride. I gave him control of his cart and he made aim for any water flying at us!

We are all saddened by the passing of Flea. He was such a wonderful, amazing, charming dog. He was a staple in the Schrader family and attended all the Schrader get togethers and was always happy to entertain everyone. He will be deeply missed.

We had a wonderful visit with Bill, Steph, Gavin, and Evan. We spent a lot of time at the beach and even more time in the pool. The kids all got along great and kept each other entertained. Chris and Bill got to go out surfing a couple times and Bill saw a shark while they were out. Apparently he always wanted to see a shark while he was surfing- I guess he can scratch that off his list! Thankfully it was just a little one. Chris and Bill also had the usual Schrader brother competitions. What would life be without those??? Bill and Steph took a day trip to Disney. I think they were more exhausted than the boys by the time they got home! They did manage to fit in two character meals and a whopping 12 rides while they were there so I'm impressed! We had a cook-out for Memorial Day. We had 11 kids under the age of 6 and still all had a good time! Luckily we had 11 very well behaved children at the house! The boys are now looking forward to Saturday when we go to Universal Studios. Then early next week my mom, sister, and Alina, and Aidan arrive. That will bring another fun week of the pool and beach.