August

I don't buy matching outfits for the boys...especially since 99.9% of all our things are either hand-me-downs or garage sale purchases.   However, I find that a lot of their clothes still coordinate with each other quite well.  I thought the boys were especially cute today, so after church I had them do a photo shoot.  Clearly, Cache was not happy about this idea, but as a mother of 4 young boys, I've decided that having them in the picture is good enough (smiles and actually looking at the camera are a bonus!).

Seeing this picture makes me realize why I am always the center of attention at Costco.  Maybe a family of 4 or 5 is a lot.  Seeing these 9 kids on this log (the product of only 2 families) does appear to be a small army!

When kids fall, they hop right back up.  When moms fall, it's a tough decision on whether you should just stay down and take a nap, or fight gravity and return to your feet!  

We live right by the Potomac River...too gross to actually get into the water, but still intriguing for the kids.

funny faces...

The Washington DC Zoo.  Last time we went, I remember disliking the zoo.  The national zoo is not easy to get too and it's built on a mammoth hill.  Maybe going into it with low expectations helped this time.  We had a fantastic time and only lost a child twice (once I honestly thought Xander was abducted).

We caught the seal show (maybe sea lion?) and it was awesome.

Our kids absolutely love animals and all things nature.

On the popular exhibits, it was hard to squish all 5 of them for a quick glimpse!

Easton took over as photographer for the rest of the afternoon.  

A few of his pictures turned out really well...

Easton 'butterfly lover'

Not the manliness of titles, but this kid has been catching butterflies as long as he could walk.

Headed home after a great zoo trip.  

Easton started his second season of flag football this August.  I can't say that he excels at the sport, but he does enjoy it.  Fortunately the other kids found a way to stay entertained too!

Easton is number 5.  

My friend, Katie, and I took a random trip to the beach.  She had to have some car work done, so rather than renting a comparable vehicle, she rented a 12 passenger van.  We loaded our 7 kids (ages 6 and under) and braved the 4 hour drive to the Maryland coast.  It was a windy morning, but the beach wasn't very crowded on a weekday, and everything went very well.  Score 1 for team Katie & Cheryl.