Wow - it's been over 10 days since I did a post (slacker mom!) We've been super busy though. Bri spent the past two weekends building a new play set for the backyard. It's AWESOME and I'm so happy that we finally joined the rest of the neighborhood and constructed a massive, wooden structure for OUR kids to play and climb on.

Last weekend was Father's day and the annual Oswego Prairie Fest. As has become our annual tradition, we met our neighbors for the concert and fire works show at P-fest Saturday night. Bray stayed with Meemaw and Grandpa and the older boys came with mom and dad. It's a LATE night, but it's one of the only ones all year....and SO much fun!! We made a huge circle of chairs, strollers and wagons to keep the kids all in one place. Our little family did some eating...corndogs for the boys, bbq for dad and a couple empinadas for mom. Then, I took Logan to ride some rides since he meets the 38" requirement while dad took A to see the animals. After we got back together, we enjoyed Italian ices in small cubbies hats. Dad got A a balloon which subsequently flew away. He demanded another one and so, a couple of the dads (ours and another daddy) went to the Park District booth and brought back tons of balloons (which made our little circle easy to spot in the huge crowded field during the concert) and about a dozen of these small beach balls. Can you say genius?? The kids kicked the balls around, threw them (and if you're a Houck boy, chewed them until they "broke" and then demanded more) for probably about an hour straight. We did find out, however, that Aiden LIKED that his first balloon flew away "high up in da skyyyy" as he tried to let others go as well (all balloon release efforts were thwarted).
All the kids danced to the music. Aiden in particular was HYSTERICAL. We have several videos on our camera of him and one of the other little girls dancing. She would do a move and then he would copy her. Keep in mind that she is a 4-year old little girl who has taken dance lessons. He was trying to mimic all the things she was doing and it was beyond words funny! When the fireworks started sometime around 10pm, we lined up all the kids in their little chairs and they ooooh'ed and aaaahhhh'ed over the "fire blasters" (as Logan called them. He actually said to daddy: "I'm going to call fireworks 'fire BLASTERS!'") Well, all the kids sat still except for Aiden who had to walk in circles, sit on mommy's lap, sit on daddy's lap and goof around for a just a little while longer until we went home. It was an awesome night and the older boys were actually in bed at home around 10:30/10:45. YEAH!

Brian begins the organization process for the playground set. It came in 5 giant boxes (plus the slide)

After removing the sandbox sailboat, Bri surveys the area where he thinks the playground should go.
This is the hardware all laid out on our patio table. I couldn't even lift the box that all of this came in by myself!
This is the progress after 2 days of work! Our neighbor Jeff came and helped Bri and his dad on both Saturday and Sunday. Bri's brother pitched in on Sunday as well. This took about 30 man-hoursThe kids couldn't WAIT to have their first picnic in the clubhouse. They got their chance this past Friday (6/13) with neighbors Ella and Drew (ya...that's right - DREW!)
Logan's first official slide (end of weekend 1)
Aiden tries it face first...monkey!
Here Brian, his dad and the boys do some work on Saturday, the 14th
Logan carried this socket wrench around for two weekends and tried to pitch in when the big guys would let him.
Aiden up on the ladder with daddy
The completed project!!! I even made them leave off a whole bunch of walls on the very bottom because there is a sand box down there that I thought would never get used if it was all walled off. YEAH!!!
Our boys on their swings!

Bray chills in his baby swing. We inherited this from a friend 2 years ago. I knew we would eventually use it!
Back track on pictures a little. Here is Brady on his 6-month bday. Aiden was helping me take these pictures....
...and demanded one of his own! I used to do these with Aiden and Logan when A was a baby (I got MOST of the months between 1 and 12 for Aiden I think...)
Prairie Fest - we start with corndogs!
What a wonderful daddy!
Posing with Aiden is like having your picture taken with rabid puppy!
Aiden and his first balloon which ended up being launched into the sky (supposedly by another boy in the bunch, but we later found out that Aiden most likely authorized its release)
This small Cubbies hat was previously filled with Italian ice shared by daddy and A. Note the "festival orange" shirt...good for spotting those children who tend to be flight risks!
One of the mini beach balls that kept the kids happy for at least an hour. They were in all different colors and styles. All the kids actually had completely different ones! Daddy taunts Aiden with his happy face ball.
Aiden and MacKenzie cut a rug (yes, we had a wardrobe change into jammies)
I seriously started crying from laughing so hard. This was one of the cutest and most hysterical things I have ever seen!
The dancers take a break during their "interpretive" number (a slow song where MacKenzie led them on a dramatic, ballet-like series of moves)
When the fireworks started, we lined the kids up in their little chairs. L wanted to sit next to Maddie and Aiden couldn't stay in his seat he was so excited.
Love is watching your kids watch the fireworks instead of watching them yourself.
Logan, mesmerized by the "fire blasters"
I tried to get an actual firework in the sky, but you can't see it.
Father's Day picture. "Happy is the man who is a father to many sons" (source of quote temporarily forgotten....but it's a real one!)
Belated mother's day picture (we didn't have our camera at the official mother's day dinner with B's family)