Grundy Love: October 2013

First Day of School

Steven is in 3rd grade!

David is in 2nd grade!

This will obviously be a year for awkward, forced smiles in pictures.

Jacob's getting in on the picture-taking action!

Feeling a bit anxious being in his classroom for the first time.

Alright, Mom, you can go now.

Stevie is studiously ignoring his embarrassing mother.

He was good enough to give us a good-bye nod. I'll take it. Love these boys.

In August, Jeff brought his crew down for a visit. It's amazing to see all the boys together---they're all growing so fast! Daddy had 7 grandkids in his home at once (including David, who is a new member of Jeff's family this year). It was nice to see Deffy and visit with family.

This is all the cousins there were in Dec. 2006. Stevie, Andrew, Zack and baby David.

These are all the grandkids in August 2013!! Andrew, David D., Zack, Stevie, David, Jake and little Grace.

I love my family.

Look how teeny I look compared to these enormous men! I just can't believe how tall my family is. How did I get to be such a shortie again?

Swimming

We went to the pool this summer every. single. day. Except on Sundays and Tuesdays when it was closed. I find it's a great place to keep all my monkeys active and thoroughly entertained (and cool---because it was a billion degrees every day this summer).

He looks so fantastic in this picture---absolutely flying. Don't want to think about how it felt when he landed, though.

Stevie in mid-flip. He and David got pretty good at them this summer.

My little water bug. She started out the summer in a baby-float, but didn't love the lack of independence.

Once I put her in a water wings she was happy as a clam. She would even jump in the pool from the side by the end (and I use the term "jump" loosely. She doesn't exactly know how to jump yet, and so mostly she'd just bend her knees theatrically and fall into the pool).

Jacob made considerable progress this summer! He's finally learned to swim on his own. He was going off the diving board and down the slide in the deep end all summer long. It's so nice to have him swimming so I don't have to feel worried about him at the pool.

Here he is in one of his Geronimo-style jumps!

Stevie slip-slidin' away.

I spent a lot of time with this lady in the pool this summer. We had a weekly Thursday-pool play date and I loved them. Love her, love her kids, just all around loved Thursdays.

A picture of my sweetie in her cute little swim-suit. It was already a bit too short for her by the end of the summer.

All of the soppin-wet Grundbergs!

Fourth of July

This year for Fourth of July we attended a Ward picnic in the morning---lovely to eat food that wasn't made by me!

Afterwards, we celebrated by going to the League City Citizen Appreciation Day festival, where we jumped in jump houses, rode ponies, petted filthy farm animals, got face (temporary) tattoos and ate free hot dogs and cotton candy!

We finished up the day by driving out to Nassau Bay Park with the Goits and the Greenfields. The view of the water was gorgeous and it was the perfect place to watch fireworks with good friends.