Another one bites the dust

Our kids have begged for years to get a pet. A few years ago, we decided to give fish ownership a try. After having about 4 fish (including one that the pet store guy said was unkillable) die within a week, we were convinced it was our water. How else does a fish die that fast? We did the whole water-prep thing, fed them as told, and loved them (at least the kids did). After giving it a break for a couple years, we decided to try out the water at our new house and take the plunge! Today is day 4 and Scooby Doo is dead.

Moral: If you have a pet that you are looking to kill (namely, fish) send it our way. We'll get the job done. Guaranteed.

Fried Fun

Am I

36 inches yet? :(

Need I say more?

Greasy. Sweaty. Expensive. Awesome. The State Fair is an experience that, for some reason, keeps us coming back year after year. Where else can you turn perfectly healthy vegetables into a pile of grease? We tried out the Riley Fun Park which was totally fun and had so much stuff we'd never seen before. We also got trapped in the agricultural building during a torrential downpour which we were hoping was perfectly timed to go ahead and grab dinner... but WHO EATS A VEGETABLE OR FRUIT PLATE at the fair?? They had choices like cold tomato juice and turkey sandwiches. WHAT?! Where was the chocolate covered bacon we'd heard so much about? (Gross.) Needless to say, we waited until we could get our pulled BBQ pork and roasted corn slathered in butter. And after spending about $50 in rides and food, Josh offered Emma a deal she couldn't refuse. She wanted a $6 slushie, so he paid her $1 to get a McDonald's sundae instead. Now that's a deal where everyone wins. :)

First Day of First Grade!

It's been a BIG week for Emma... We got to meet her new teacher, Mrs. Stinson (who she loved), on Monday at her ice cream social at school, then she lost her 3rd tooth yesterday in the pool, and today is the FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE! Full day, bus rides both ways, lunch at school, making new friends... We started the day with a nervous and excited little girl coming down all dressed and ready to go. She helped me pack her first school lunch and ate her favorite breakfast of cinnamon rolls (wearing her backpack) and then it was off to the bus stop. A passerby may have thought Miley Cyrus was making an appearance there with the amount of cameras and camcorders. She was still a little nervous when bus 73 arrived, but I think having a few of her bus pals there helped. I asked Reese what we're going to do without Emma all day and he said, "Miss her."

Praying for a fun day for our big FIRST GRADER!

Growing Monkey

We just can't believe how big this kid is getting... and in 73 days, he won't be the baby anymore! He cracks us up all day long and we can already see that he has a sweet, energetic and daring personality. What a blessing he is to our family. :)

Walking with the Dinos

My mom got Reese tickets (early bday gift) to go see this dinosaur spectacular... and he was pretty pumped. We'd been watching clips of it online and he'd pretty much memorized all the dinos we'd be seeing. It did not disappoint- we were 6 rows up with a new light-up toy and cotton candy. The dinosaurs were totally realistic. The only part that worried him was when he thought the baby t-rex was in danger, but its mama came to defend it, don't you worry. :)

Reunion!

It had been way too many years since I'd seen these dear high school friends and had never met ANY of their kids! Between the 4 of us, we had the beginnings of a preschool... 8 kids 6 and under. We didn't exactly get to sit around chatting and sipping coffee (not as if I'd ever drink coffee anyway), but it was nice to spend some time together seeing them in their new roles as "mommy." Abby is on the left (she has 2 boys), then Angi next to her (she has 2 girls), and then Laura behind me (with her son). What fun!

H2Ohhhhhh

This summer has been wonderfully filled with boat trips, spray parks and our own pool. The kids just can't get enough water and it's been such a great way to stay cool and entertained.

Anniversary Cruise

What a way to celebrate 10 years! We headed out From Miami to Key West and Nassau with NO kids (other than the one in utero) thanks to the Grammies! Our time was almost completely filled with sleeping, eating, lounging, and reading! In Nassau we decided to get off the ship and take a tour to relive a bit of our honeymoon. We had a great tour guide all to ourselves and he taught us tons about the island as we drove around. For lunch we ate at a chinese restaurant that we enjoyed several times on our honeymoon. I also finished 3 of the 4 Twilight books which could never have been accomplished outside of a vacation. We just thoroughly enjoyed our time away with absolutely no responsibilities other than what we'd do for the day. Happy 10 years (which we don't technically celebrate til August 7th) :)

Kindergarten Program

This Wednesday was Emma's shining moment at her kindergarten program. She was so excited and practiced her line a million times. She was afraid she'd get stage fright, but I wasn't too worried... :) Unfortunately all you can hear on the video is Reese talking away, but she did great! Way to go, Emma!

Grammie Bev and Pappaw came to show their support and, of course, her little bros!

Emma and her pals

Wild Man

Our little Lincoln has earned himself this title over the last few months. He's totally into everything and especially loves when I turn my back when the dishwasher is open... this picture was taken moments before his grimy little wet feet slipped and he about knocked himself out (nevermind the possibility of cutting off his foot on the cheese grater...)

And his big bro is in the next picture at about the same age!

It's a....

So today was the big day! At the ultrasound this morning, we found out it was a healthy baby... hold on. Even I didn't find out for a couple hours. We had the tech put this picture in an envelope and when we picked Emma up from school and went to McDonald's, she got to reveal it to us all! I envisioned laughs, smiles, joy... hmm... not exactly.

Emma burst into tears as the reality of being the big sister to THREE brothers set in. As she cried all through lunch, we reminded her how special she is to be the only girl and what a great big sister she is... and how God made this special baby and He knows just what He's doing. It'll grow on her. :)

Guess!

I don't have anything exciting to blog, but we do find out the sex of this baby next Monday... any guesses?? You've got a 50/50 chance... :)

Not-So-Merry Maids

Thank goodness for our dear friend Sara who was willing to come help clean up ground zero at our old house after our renters moved out. It's amazing what 20-something guys consider clean. Take a look for yourself and see the magic we worked. We did need a chemical rinse when we left... I'm pretty sure the swine flu was harvesting there.

I don't have after pictures for these, but wow...

Go, Team Mercury!

On our 3rd try of signing up for soccer, Emma is finally getting to try it out (it was cancelled the other times). We had no idea what she'd think of it and she hasn't exactly shown interest in sports... let's say it was highly entertaining. :) At her first practice, she was getting circled by seasoned 6 & 7 year olds who had clearly been in soccer since they were toddlers. She twirled her hair as she stood there trying to figure out what to do. At her first game, I was trying to explain to Josh that her coach had asked her to stand on the sidelines because they had too many players on her team. Nope. She was just standing there because she had no idea what to do! I think she touched the ball once when she stuck her foot into the wad of kids who were circling the ball like prey. At the end she was pleased with the mud on her new shinguards and ready to try again next week.

Happy REAL Bday!

To celebrate the big 1 today, we headed to Chuck E. Cheese's for pizza Lincoln mostly gagged on, rides that are way too big for him and prizes he could choke to death on. Okay, I confess it was mostly for the siblings, but Lincoln had some fun too. :) He got a total kick out of the little rides...

Happy Birthday, Lincoln!

I know I say it every time one of these rolls around, but wasn't this kid JUST born?! We had an Old McDonald birthday party on Easter weekend since my family was in town. Lincoln was so sweet, trying his hardest to open his gifts (with the help of his siblings, of course). But the highlight was the cake. He was hilarious, investigating it slowly, touching it cautiously, then diving right in until he nearly ate the whole dang thing. I stopped him at the point where I was sure I'd be cleaning up red-tinted puke in a matter of minutes. After shaking him off and scrubbing the shortening-based frosting off of his entire body in the bathtub, he took a great nap; undoubtedly dreaming of cake. Happy Birthday, little buddy!

Dinosaur World

So we heard about this place called Dinosaur World and knew we HAD to take Reese there. From morning til night, all we hear about is dinosaurs (mixed a little bit with sharks). So after making arrangements for Lincoln and getting all ready to go, we realized as we were about to hop in the car that it was 3 1/2 hours away (we thought it was in Louisville). We knew better than to crush Reese's hopes and dreams... we buckled in for a very long day of 7 hours in the car to be at Dino World for 2. Thankfully it was a totally gorgeous day, the kids were well behaved (thanks to our borrowed DVD player) and we made 2 trips to Sonic for cherry limeades. And every night since, when we pray at night and tell God what we're thankful for, you can imagine what Reese's is. :) The scrapbook pose for Mommy
And they're off...

Future paleontologists

His face says it all. This was one of 150 life-size dinos they have!

"Are you SURE we can't take him home?"