That was close...

This morning started off kind of shaky.  I've got a couple of big projects on my plate and it feels like I haven't had a chance to just sit down and take a breath.  On top of that I was running a bit late to a potluck this morning and my dish was taking forever to cook and my son was screaming and refusing to nap and my daughter couldn't be plied with Dora, she wanted SCHOOL NOW! and I didn't have time to set up a school project for her and I just wanted her to leave me alone so I could finish getting us all ready, andforgoodnesssake, PLEASE JUST WATCH TV! 

Whew.  I finally got us out of the door mostly on time (30 minutes late is mostly on time, right?), and we spent a lovely morning hanging out with friends.  And then.

Then we got home, I walked in the door and realized that the back door was wide open.  Wide open.  I must have left it open after I brought the dogs in before we left in such a hurry.  Forget the fact that we could have been robbed blind.  We have two declawed indoor kitties that have been with us longer than our dogs and children.  We love them.  If they got out they would be torn to shreds by the neighborhood kitties.

I frantically started searching the house, knowing with a sinking feeling in my stomach that the cats were gone...the cats were gone...oh my god, my cats are gone!  And then.

Then I found them, sleeping peacefully under my bed.  Content and probably perfectly oblivious to the fact that the back door had been wide open for the past three hours.  I cannot even describe the feeling of joy I had when I found them.  All I can say is that someone above was looking out for my little kitties today!

Reading

Tell me this isn't the most adorable thing on the entire planet!

Rainy Day

It's been raining all day.  So naturally we went outside to play. :)

Daddy, Get Your Shotgun...

...because this won't be as adorable in 15 years when she's riding away on some boy's motorcycle!

We had friends over for dinner last night and we had a lovely time.

And we discovered that Michaela likes the younger men. :)

State Fair

We went to our State Fair today and the kids had so much fun!  They have this fun little farm area where the kids can pretend to harvest food.  Michaela loved it!

She even got to rope a (fake) steer and ride a (fake) horse!

Then on the way to the Petting Zoo...

She spotted the REAL ponies and spent the next 10 minutes whining mercilessly.  I don't usually give in to the demands of pint-size dictators, but then I started remembering when my parents used to let me ride the ponies at the fair and I couldn't resist.  It was a good decision, Michaela loved it!

She was so happy and proud of herself!  It was definitely the best part of her day!

Rafael kept himself entertained with a balloon...

and just hanging out in the stroller and people watching.

Michaela spent the rest of the morning playing around in the various kid areas.  Like the  "sand"box filled with dry corn kernels...

Making some art...

and playing with blocks, turtles, fossils and more!

The kids were tired out when we got home!  Although when Rafael woke up from his nap, he rediscovered that awesome balloon.

Tumbling Queen

This summer Michaela took a tumbling class and she was so cute! Here she is stretching with Daddy: She loves going through the tunnel!

She absolutely hates the balance beam. Oh well, maybe next time.

Here's a video of her rolling. Towards the end is a great hilarious bit of her dancing with her daddy.

We'll be taking another class this fall. She's taken them twice before so this will be her 4th class!

Botanic Gardens

We had a really nice outing today with some of our friends. We went to the local Botanic Gardens and let the kids run around and explore!