Camp In The City

A couple of weeks ago our church hosted a camp. The counselors travel to different churches each week and host a camp at a church in that city. It was a full day camp, 9-4 each day. We decided that we would send Reese to camp and that we would also host four of the counselors in our home. We had a group of girls stay with us and it was really a blessing. Not only did Reese love camp, she came home and loved getting to spend the evening with the girls. Reese had a really sweet counselor all week who even looked sort of like Reese. I am almost positive Reese misses her and wished she could see her again. On Friday afternoon they had a closing ceremonies where they showed the parents all of the fun things they had learned and their counselor gave them each an award.

We fed the girls breakfast each morning and then dinner three nights during the week. On Monday night we decided to have a girls night out and Reese and I took them to our favorite burger place. We happened to run in to some of our favorite people there who were also hosting a group of boys. We hadn’t even discussed the possibility of going to dinner at the same place so it was really to fun to see them there. On Wednesday night I made a big pot of spaghetti and we got to enjoy dinner with them on the back porch. Reese wrote up some questions for everyone to answer and it was fun to get to know each other a little better. Thursday night the church hosted a dinner for all of the counselors and host homes. They also had child care set up so that the kids were taken care of. This was a nice night of getting to know the girls with out the kids around and also hearing stories from camp. Friday we were going to have pizza and a movie night with the girls but they got home a little late from cleaning everything up at the church. I put Hayes to bed and then the rest of us went outside to make s’mores. While we were out there all of the girls painted their nails and chatted. It was a fun little night around the fire. Before everyone going to bed that night we prayed with the girls for the rest of their summer. It was special time with them and our kids.

Loosing Teeth

Reese’s top two teeth have been wiggly for a while now. Finally a couple of weeks ago, one of them got really wiggly, like barely hanging on and discolored wiggly. However, she refuses to have her teeth pulled and prefers to just let them fall out.

Yesterday morning while she was eating breakfast, she jumped up out of her seat and yelled my name. I look over and she is holding her tooth. It fell out in her mouth when she took her last bite.

There was no blood. The tooth was just ready to come out. Now the tooth next to it is hanging on and ready to come out. And we will just let the same thing happen.

She thought it felt so funny and that she talked funny. I am ready for the other one to come out because she will look so cute and really talk funny then!

Two Wheels and an Open Road

Last summer we bought Reese a new bike for her birthday. She would never ride her old bike and we thought a new one would do the trick. Well it didn’t. She still said she didn’t like riding her bike. We tried and we tried but nothing worked.

For what ever reason, yesterday Reese and Lance decided to take the training wheels off her bike so she could learn to ride it.

While Lance was busy talking to a neighbor, I gave her some pointers and ran beside her in the grass for a while. She was doing really well and would go several feet while riding alone. The problem was their wasn’t enough space in the grass to really test it out.

Finally we talked her in to going out to the cul-de-sac to try because their was more space and it would be easier to peddle out there. The second she was on her bike, she was riding away. She was thrilled and we were so proud of her! Her biggest trouble is actually getting started on the bike but other than that she looks like she has been riding forever.

Check out this big smile…

Loving Summer

This summer seems to be flying by. Each morning we wake up for swim team practice and then we are off for the day.

Lance got our table done and we bought some chairs for it Memorial day weekend. We have really enjoyed having this table outdoors. The patio is covered and doesn’t get any sun after midday. There is a fan out there so it is the perfect dinner spot.

On Memorial Day we met some friends at Stone Mountain. We were so worried that it was going to be super crowded because of the holiday. Fortunately for us there was rain in the forecast that kept a lot of people away. The kids were not able to do a few things they wanted to do but overall we had a great time. We rode the Skylift to the top of the mountain.

I think this was the kids favorite part…being on top of the world! They begged over and over to stay for the laser show but we just couldn’t do it since Lance had to be at work the next day.

The kids have been so good about doing their summer work books. For the most part, they have played pretty well together. We have our moments but they have been good together.

The pool has been a great place to spend time. This summer weather is already off to a better start than last summer.

The first couple of times we went to the pool Hayes would not get in. He would cry and cry. Finally I switched him from a puddle jumper to floaties and he loved it! He will jump, kick, blow bubbles. I am so glad he is finally enjoying the fun.

Reese is doing swim team again this summer. She is doing so great! She is one of the oldest in her age group and it all seems to have clicked for her this year.

Sam wanted so bad to go to her first meet. I have been getting a babysitter for Hayes because it would be too much to have him with me. I told Sam it was going to be boring but he begged to go. He was super excited when we first got there but that quickly faded and all he wanted to do was buy food at the concession stand. He stayed home with the babysitter the next meet!

The big kids are also taking tennis lessons from my tennis coach. They had their first practice this week and LOVED it! I think they will both do pretty well. I can’t wait to be able to hit some balls with them. By the time they are ten they will be killing me on the courts.

Another Fun Day

Today we decided to go to lunch with Lance. We actually brought our lunch and ate in the quad at a table on the fake grass. It was a nice lunch and the kids always have a blast while we are there.

While we were eating about six men from Lance’s office walked up right as I took the last bite of my sandwich. That was awkward! Ha! I am meeting all of these men with my mouth full of sub sandwich. And then I was afraid to talk once I was done with fear of lettuce stuck in my teeth. They were all friendly but didn’t stick around long. One of the men was so complementary of Lance and mentioned that Lance is the best at what he does. That was such a nice thing to say.

Please notice Hayes’ sweet little face in the picture below…

After lunch we headed out for some shopping. Hayes was playing around in one of the stores and smacked right in to the corner of a wall with his right cheek. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry and he walked away with a nice little bruise on his cheek. After that we headed home for Hayes to take a nap. After naps we had some friends over to our pool for “pizza and a pool night”. The kids played for about an hour in the pool (all except Hayes…he seems to be the smart one…the water is freezing!). Finally the daddies showed up with dinner and we all sat down to eat. While I was getting the big kids food, Hayes took a tumble and caught himself with his forehead. Now he has a huge “boo-boo” on his sweet little face. He is in good spirits though and doesn’t seem bothered by it at all. If you ask him where his boo-boo is, he will point to the top of his head so hopefully that means it doesn’t hurt too bad.

I guess it is a good thing we don’t have family pictures scheduled any time soon!

Reese’s Last Day of School

Reese had her last day of school today. She was super excited and jumped right out of bed. We took some pictures before she got on the bus. And boy does she look so grown up!

Some good ole silly posing.

Sam wanted in on the action too but Hayes was still sleeping.

This year’s last day of school went much smoother than last year so we got to have the fun we wanted to have last year. I talked to the mom’s at our bus stop and we planned to have water guns and water balloons for when the kids got off the bus. Reese knew what was coming and was so excited! As soon as they were all off the bus, we soaked them and they loved it. We left the water balloons in the cul-de-sac for them to have fun with and they had a blast.

I think the mom’s had just as much fun because I didn’t get many pictures. The kids were soaked by the time all the balloons were gone and the guns were empty. The mom’s that had middle schoolers asked if they could borrow our sign and guns and decided to refill and wait on their kids to get home. They waited behind some bushes and ambushed them. I was sitting on the front porch and just heard squealing and then see the middle school mom’s chasing down their kids. It was too funny!

Lance got home a little bit early around 5:00 so we decided to go to Moe’s for dinner. While at Moe’s we ran in to one of our neighbors from the bus stop and two kids from Sam’s school class. It was a busy night. We also treated the kids to a Blizzard to celebrate summer and then ran to the mall for a quick second. It is going to be so nice to not have to stick to bedtimes for a little while.

And here is a comparison of the first day and last day. Bows…she won’t wear them much any more. And the first day of school and picture day are usually the only days I can get her to wear her hair down.

I can’t believe I have a second grader on my hands now!

Daddy’s Helpers

One morning Lance was working on the table and Hayes wanted to be out there with him. He was sparring the table and didn’t want Hayes touching it. Luckily it was breakfast time so I just set Hayes up with his breakfast outside so he could watch Lance work. Sam wanted in on the action too.

Sam’s Last Day of School

Sam had his last day of three year old preschool today. I can’t believe his school year is already over.

This year has flown by and he has grown so much.

His school had planned a family picnic today with bounces houses and lots of outdoor fun. However, the rain changed all of that. They decided to have an indoor play day. Each classroom had a fun activity set up and the classes rotated from one room to another.

The kids seemed to really enjoy themselves even though the rain ruined what they were most excited about.

I think Sam’s class liked the parachute the best. They were crazy in this room. They shook the parachute like crazy, bouncing balls all around it. At one point all of them huddled under the parachute and were giggling and giggling.

Sam and his best buddy from class, Caleb

Sam and the cutie he said he is going to marry, GiGi. However, “she is NOT my girlfriend…I am just going to marry her”.

Sam had a great year this school year. It was a little overwhelming for me because this school is so much bigger than our old preschool but we survived. It is officially summertime for this sweet little boy!

Hayes ~ 18 months

Hayes was 18 months on the 1st. Wow! He is getting so big. He doesn’t have many words but he makes a lot of noise! He knows what he wants for sure.

He spends a lot of time in his stroller because we are always on the go with the big kids.

He is usually pretty good about it until he finally realizes that Sam is running around. And then he wants out!

He still loves to hang out with the men around…

His most favorite place to be is outside! He loves to run around, throwing any kind of ball he can get his hand on. I have no doubt he will be some type of athlete. He discovered the fun in the sprinkler over the weekend. Lance turned them on to water the grass, Hayes was fully clothed running through the water.

He likes to have his picture taken if it is his idea. He will see the camera in my hand and say “Cheeeee”. If it is not his idea we get a very serious, non-smiling picture.

He is not friendly to most people around. If you try to say hello to him, he will pretend like you are not there or shake his head no. However, again, if it is his idea he will wave to everyone and act like the friendliest kid around. One day he was doing this in the grocery store and everyone was ignoring him. Finally an older lady walked by and said hey back to him and he wasn’t sure what to do. He is also a bit of a bully to his friends. He has started pushing them with a huge grin on his face. I think he is just playing but he experienced his first time out over the weekend for being mean to his friend. He did not like that!

He is not a big fan of having to take a nap but he sleeps great!

He is dramatic! He screams if he is not getting his way…like having to take a nap.

He is rocking the curly hair! It is pretty amazing!

He loves the water! He loves baths! He will fight Sam to be able to sit closest to the running faucet. If he sees Sam getting undressed faster than he is he tried to jump in the tub with his clothes on. One day Reese turned the shower on to warm up and didn’t close the door. Hayes got in and was soaking wet by the time I saw him. He was so happy! I think he is going to love the pool this summer!

We just turned him around to face forward in the car a couple of weeks ago. He thinks he is such a big boy now.

He is healthy! We had his well visit this week. He weighs 26 lbs, 7 oz (79%). He is 32.75” tall (61%) and his head is 18.75” round (57%). He is still bigger than Sam was at the same age by about a pound and 3/4” but his head is the same size.

Happy 18 months, Hayesey Baby! We love you!

She Scores!

Soccer season is over. Our Saturdays are free again for a while. Most of Reese’s soccer season consisted of a lot of character building. Her team lost pretty much every game they played. This was most of their first/second season playing U8 with five kids on the field, including a goalie. In the seasons before they have only played 3 v 3. To wrap up the season, the Y put on a tournament. They brought a bunch of YMCA leagues in our area together and tried to match them up against teams that were on a similar level. The girls had so much fun actually getting to play instead of getting beat!

They played so well together. They passed well, talked well, and just overall looked great! They tied their first game, won the second, and lost the third (to a team they played in regular season). And Reese scored!! She actually scored twice that counted. One other time she scored but they called it back because they said there had been a hand ball right before she scored. The other time it hit the inside of the post…which I am pretty sure counts but since the refs were high school girls you can’t really get mad at them.

She also experienced her first injury. There was a girl in the second game that was a beast. She could kick the heck out of the ball and will probably make a great defender one day. Some how one of her balls ended up on Reese’s nose. There was some crying but no blood. I think she was more scared. Her coach called me over to comfort her and I gave her a cold water bottle to hold on her nose. See below…

After their final game, they had cupcakes and received their trophies. The girls were most excited about that all day!

The thing I am most excited about is that Reese has said she wants to play again in the fall. She has done so well and I think she could be really good at soccer if she keeps it up!