It's Gotcha Day!!

On August 8, 2006, the four of us became an official family.  The above picture was taken two weeks later, when we all got to be together for good.  Eight years ago?  Wow.

Here they are, eight years later, reading together with the eldest perched in the laundry basket of course...

Summer '14 is almost over.  School begins in 10 days.  We've been through Lego contests, a New York wedding, slept in an airport, day camps, fossil digs...it has been a full summer.

We take pictures like this and feel like somehow we MUST get these boys to stop growing up so fast.  We'll have a fourth and fifth grader this year, and the winds of "middle school" keep approaching and we can't believe it.

A couple fun experiences from the last month:  here is Carson with his buddy Ben Skillman at our local arts center doing Box City camp.  As you can see, they created an Apple store and sold cardboard phones, tablets and earbuds.

Conner got a serious behind the scenes look at KU's Geology lab.  One of Daddy's students runs the lab and let Conner come in and help with crushing rock samples and doing mineral seperations on the water table.  Pics of his fossil camp with Grandma coming soon!

The smallest toad in the universe!  In our backyard!  Call Guinness!!

Every year, toads visit our fish pond and lay 30 million eggs.  Tadpoles swim around for a week or two, then all of a sudden our yard is overrun with these microscopic babies.  Insanely cute.

Fishing has become the number one desire for daily activities.  These boys are quickly becoming pros.  Their favorite watering hole is Mary's Lake in southeast Lawrence.

Both boys hold a record of 6 catfish caught in one day.  They pretty regularly pull 12+ inch catfish out, with occasional sunfish and bluegill. 

We couldn't resist adding this little gem at the end.  Carson was asked what he wanted his future to look like.  Besides wanting to be a world famous soccer player, he wants to work at KU and be just like his Daddy.  Serious brownie points, kiddo!