Pics from the last few weeks

Some cute pics from the last couple of weeks:

Can you believe our parents make us do things like this?

Contemplative

Sneakin'

Sophie's first day of kindergarten! Can you believe she's already 5? I can't!

Gracie, Caleb and Katharine all dressed up for church.

Sometimes playing with your trucks just wears you out!

Product Placement

I'm diverting away from my normal "Caleb" posts to bring you a quick post about 3 really great products that I think everyone should know about. I was talking to April the other day about these and how we had wished we knew earlier how great they are. So without further ado, I'm bringing them to you:

1. Mr. Clean Magic Eraser - oh my! If you haven't tried this, you're missing out. Those little suckers can clean ANYTHING! And they're especially wonderful on things like shower doors, wall scuffs, random marks on your floors. I cannot explain how it works because it seems like a normal sponge, but it's amazing!

2. Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners - This handy little bag has saved my sad little dishpan hands so many hours of work. If you use your crockpot for anything, these are worth picking up. You get 4 in a box for about $1.75 (at Wal-Mart). Basically, you just put the liner in your crockpot first and then prepare as normal. Then when you're done, you just take the liner out and throw it away. You still have to wash the pot, but we're talking a rinse, not a scourging.

3. CHI - okay, so I admit that I've racked my brain for another kitchen-type item to add to the list, but nothing was coming to mind. So I thought I'd just add another product that I've fallen in love with. If you do any straightening of your hair, the CHI is the absolute best! I don't know why the ceramic plates work so much better than my Revlon equivalent, but they do! It's an pricey endeavor, but if you straighten your hair everyday, I think it would be a worthy investment.

So hit me with some of your favorites!

Previous Post

So I made an attempt to put a slideshow on my blog and it didn't work out the way I had hoped. For one, the pictures below are in backwards order. And for another, none of my descriptions of the photos showed up. Whoops. So anyway, they are pics of our most recent vacation to the Dells - some family, some fun, some artsy...you get the picture!

A New Look

We finally painted our front room. I've been talking about doing it practically since we moved in, but I finally picked a color and we got it done. Here are before and after pics. It's hard to tell from pictures the exact color, so I guess that just means you'll have to come visit!

Now we just have to get our things back on the walls! I think it makes it look more home-y.
What do you think of my new do? It's shorter than I was expecting, but it's pretty fun for the summer.

Signs of Summer

We had a very rainy 4th of July, so Caleb and I had to watch the parade from the Jeep. (Gabe was playing his trumpet on a float)

I know that the parade was memorable, because now days later, he'll randomly say "clowns, beep-beep, tractors, trucks, wee-oh wee-oh, horse...."

At last! We're starting to eat our vegetables!

Check out the bike we scored at a garage sale for $5. He loves his bike!

And Caleb was recently given a new trumpet - handcrafted by Daddy.

Check out the buzz on this kid:

Wedding Extravaganza

To say we've been busy is an understatement. I feel like we've just finally landed back home and have been able to breathe for a couple of days. Here are some pics from our craziness:

Sara and Cody got married on Saturday. Here's a shot from the rehearsal. Aren't we lovely?

My camera's batteries died right before the wedding, so I don't have a single pic beyond this point (see Jenny's blog for better pictures).

Then on Sunday, Gabe's grandpa and Sue got married too. Must have been a good weekend for weddings. It was pretty cool to think that Caleb got to see his great-grandpa get married.

We had a lovely reception in Tom and Marilyn's backyard after the wedding. We took a minute to get a family shot since we couldn't get one at Sara's.

On to other important moments of the past week....Caleb got to meet Curious George! As soon as he walked in, he was yelling across the room "Hi! Hi! Hi!" and waving ecstatically. But when we went to get our picture taken, he seemed a little confused and slightly scared.