Reading By Kindle Fire Light

Summer So Far...

We are 2 weeks in.  Summer has settled in here.  We are completely adjusted to no schedule.

We sleep in...the girls room is quiet until at least 8am, some days more like 8:30!  Landen takes an extra 15 or 20 minutes to crawl out of bed in the morning and thinks it's sleeping in.  I can't complain too much...he for sure gets it from me!  

Layne's very stylish sunglasses...she insisted on this pair!

We do projects.  I have dozens of projects before this baby arrives.  Closets have been re-organized, clothes sorted, toys cleaned out, and the list goes on!  These kids have been troupers in helping get it done!

School year memory books...done!

We slowly make our way to the beach.  Then stay until dinner time.

Landen & Layne tossing the ball around

We meet up with some friends at the pool.  Then stay until dinner time.

Abbey and friends...1, 2, 3 Jump!

It's been nice to slow down, go where we want, or stay home if we want.  My prego bones have appreciated the new pace.   

We have a few more exciting things planned for these summer days.  Close to home.  Staycation summer has just begun!

And I plan to get back on the ball taking pictures...please excuse the above.  Half of them are iphone shots!  Did I mention the tired prego bones?!

Waiting for Baby

This pregnancy has been moving along.  Maybe not flying by, but for sure moving at a steady pace.  There's so much to keep us busy and so many things to plan, and I know before I even take a breath, this little baby will have moved right in on us!

And so, I wanted to capture this time.  This, that I feel pretty sure, is the last pregnancy.  This crazy excitement in my kids.  This anticipation, for things that we know and remember, and things that will be all new.  And so I made the crazy decision to have photos done.  Crazy, because who really wants to be photographed with an extra 30 pounds on them, a few of those on my face alone! limited wardrobe options, and a rather tired, cranky disposition at 7 months pregnant?!  A few dear friends raised eyebrows and gently questioned what I was thinking...but I was determined to get it done...and have it be a success!

I called my friend Sara and knew I was in good hands.  I love how she captured this big belly and our excitement for this little guy's arrival.

And I love how she grabbed each of my kid's personalities in these photos.

I'm so thrilled to have these moments captured, for these kids above, and for this little one set to arrive in a couple of months.  I'm also thrilled that we are already booked up for family photos after the red ninja baby arrives.  I can't wait to capture those moments...smiling kids holding their new baby brother.

IronKids

my 3 proud finishers

As part of the Ironman festivities, a kid's race was held the night before the big race.  Abbey and Landen were ready and excited to race...a 1 mile race ending at the finish chute, under the Ironman official banners and crossing the official Ironman finish line .  When we arrived at town square and registered the 2 big kids, we learned that Layne could do a 400 yard dash!  Woohoo!  This little girl was thrilled to do what the big kids were doing!  We suited all 3 up in their race T's and headed for the start.

Royal ran with Layne while I waited with the big kids to start their race.  He did ask if I wanted to run with her, then looked at my big prego belly and retracted the question!  I guess it's a compliment that he forgets that I'm 6 months pregnant.  I'll take it.

 The big kid race began with a bang!  So many little runners!

Abbey and Landen come to the end of the mile...Abbey ran with Landen

 most of the way (per mom's request) then pulled ahead at the finish!

into the finish chute

the whole ironfamily

These 3 kiddos earned their medals.  Ironkids.  Royal earned his medal exactly one year ago.  Ironman. And me.  I think I need a medal for being an ironmama and an ironwife.  Maybe I won't be competing from sun-up to sun-down tomorrow, but I do make a good race poster and I have got the cheering bit down.  And maybe someday, I'll compete just to prove I can do it.  Nope.  No way.  Jose.  

Big race tomorrow!  Dragging my Ironkids, our 6 posters and a few supply bags of our own to watch our men kill themselves, from sun-up to sun-down.  Go Ironmen!!

Sunday Best

Happy Easter

From the Men

and the Ladies

Red Ninja Baby a little squished as usual.  Coming in August to even up these numbers!

Easter

These kiddos are getting bigger.  I think 2/3 of them are convinced that a giant bunny did not make a secret visit this morning to drop off baskets of candy and plastic eggs.  It's really o.k. with me.  There are just not enough answers to all the questions!  The movie Hop is a favorite of Layne's, so she has it all figured out!

  there were no Easter jammies this year

Layne also figured out that she did not have a personalized Easter basket, so off to PBKids we went.  She chose the purple tutu liner!  It makes its debut this year, then reappears each year filled with new goodies.  They love to see these baskets come out and I love not having to buy new baskets each year!

The baskets will always be fun, bunny or no bunny.  So will the egg hunt. 

They ran and searched high and low and then we made the hunt a little more interesting.  We told them that there were 3 golden eggs out there somewhere, one for each of them.  The golden eggs held a better prize than candy or an Easter penny toy.  Bigger, better.  So, they searched harder and faster!

One by one, they were FOUND.

OPENED

LEGO MINI FIGURES....YEAH!

I thought these were fun little items to stuff into eggs.  I think there was a part of these children that was hoping for $100 bills.  Maybe we hyped up the golden eggs a little bit too much!   Once the reality of the BIG prize set in, everyone was happy with a new Lego person to add to the collection.

We ran home.  Then ended the afternoon with Layne's favorite Easter basket treat...colored bubbles!

Blonde, Blue-Eyed Rosa Parks

It was Abbey's 3rd grade American Hero Presentation and her hero was Rosa Parks.  We knew a lot about Rosa Parks after some online research and writing a report all about her life.  What we didn't know was how to dress up like Rosa Parks...with all that blonde hair!  Thank goodness for the Halloween witch wig!

It was some presentation!  There were 29 different heros represented by 3 classes of 3rd graders all on stage in costume.  They sang a variety of inspiring songs and then each presented his or her hero.  Abbey did a great job!  She knew her lines and looked completely comfortable up there in front of a packed room!