July at the Lake House we found ourselves diving into the heat of the summer with The Le's, food, and fun. What a hot blast!

We all swam morning, noon, and night and had fun just being around the lake house with family.Together, we celebrated Jill's Birthday, Fourth of July, our 6th Wedding Anniversary and Evangeline's 1st Birthday!
And, once a year we hit the village arcades and it fuels our laughs for the rest of the year!

Happy 1st Birthday Evangeline!
July, 18, 2010Can we believe our little girl is 1? Wow, she's coming into her looks, personality, and family traits! We are so glad we can share her with our family and friends and we love that you are all a part of her life. Thank you for your support over this past year, it was a tough one, and we look forward to growing with Evangeline & Rowan as they develop as God's children in our lives.

For Rowan, it's all about the firetruck. For play, he's either riding or servicing a fire engine, fighting a fire, rescuing someone, or working the ladder truck. Thank you local firefighters for satisfying the joy of experiencing it all!

Memme and Grandpa Visit

Summer sun, hot days, cool meals, and fun times made for a wonderful week!

The day after shopping Ballston Spa we headed to Strawberry Picking at Ariel's Farm
Then, a day trip to the Lake House for grilling, swimming, and playing.
After dinner in Saratoga, it was the Ballston Spa Fun Day where Evangeline found the sand and Rowan found the water (that's him in the background)! Plus,Grandpa was very busy in the basement, we churned some homemade ice cream and there was even some extra time to measure Evangeline for a new dress. But, more on the dress later.

We love you Memme and Grandpa!

Evangeline is enjoying her new found talent, that her Mom finally let her explore, of feeding herself!

We inherited rhubarb when we moved into Greenwood Drive. Harvesting the rhubarb is one of my favorite activities to do with Rowan. He points to the stalks he thinks are ready (big) and I cut them. Then, he piles them and carries them to house. We clean and then bake the rhubarb into deserts and crumbles but it also makes very good jams and chutney recipes. I haven't been able to capture the finished product on film since it seems to be gone in seconds! We had the pleasure of enjoying our last cuttings this past weekend with visiting friends. It certainly says, Welcome to our Home!

Memorial Weekend 2010: a picture perfect weekend at the lake house!

Evangeline was a rocking bathing beauty and makes this vintage play pen look good!Alan casts the line but Rowan gets all the glory! Sunglasses were a must this weekend with the awesome weather. Here, even Pete made the pic!Here you can catch a behind the scenes look at the dock through Alan's sunglasses in this serene backdrop.

"Leaving on a Jet Plane" with two small children,...
Multiple Choice
(a) is very all consuming.
(b) people feel sorry for you traveling with them.
(c) makes you feel like you're the circus coming to town.
(d) strangers feel the need to comment, "looks like you've got your hands full!"
(e) all of the above

Rowan is more than ready for it to be full-on summer. Each visit to the lake house since ice-out he asks to go in the lake or play with his toys in the water. This week he wanted to put his hands in. It is cold. None-the-less, we're having lots of fun together with these little adventures.

Just a quick hello from us as we are enjoying the beautiful day outside!

Road Trip to Virginia

The Jr. Rudnicks where on a mission; Make it to Virginia for Julie's wedding and see Alan's family while traveling there and back in one piece (mentally and physically).

Thank you minivan for your sacrifice of being climbed all over, snacked in, and slept in.Thank you Memme and Grandpa for taking such good care of Rowan and Evangeline.Mission Accomplished.

First Road Trips to NJ

Back and forth to New Jersey isn't really a first but doing it twice, within weeks, with the kids (and a potty), solo, was a first. Rowan had his first chance at a big kids swing and he drove his first tractor (see previous post). Evangeline started crawling first in the family room at Lolly and Pops and loved the constant theater of watching everything happen around her!