Hmm, what to do today? Meredith and Natalie are napping and Colby is enjoying some cartoons while I type this and decide what we will do today. Probably play in the sprinklers. Considering the heat, that might be the best option.

Ryan got ahold of the camera a few nights ago and took some pictures of the kids. It's probably the second time he's used the camera since we got it a couple years ago. Something about not knowing how the zoom works or some excuse like that, haha! I have very few pictures of myself, and it is because of this very reason!


Natalie had her 6 month check-up a couple weeks ago. She weighed in at 14 lbs. and was 26 inches long. Tall and skinny! She's been rolling all over the house and babbles and yells constantly. Ryan finally won a round; she made the 'dada' sound first!

Happy Independence Day!! This weekend has been all kinds of fun! Yesterday, Ryan took the day off and he, Colby, Meredith, and I went to the water park for the first time this summer. The water was freezing!! Colby had a blast as usual, but Meredith was just too tired. She started out strong but faded over the next couple hours, so we only stayed for a little while.

Today was a busy day. We celebrated the holiday with cleaning and house maintenance. Ryan mowed the lawn and hung out clothes while I washed them and tried to entertain the girls. Colby spent most of the afternoon doing man work outside, following Ryan pushing the push mower with his own makeshift mower (a play grocery cart) behind him. Ryan said the neighbor drove by and he could see her laughing at them. I made lunch, and also some poppyseed chicken to eat on next week, as well as the fixins for a couple lasagnas to go in the freezer.

We're passing on the fireworks this year since it rained this afternoon and the forecast was for it to continue into the evening. We would like to have gone to the WKU extravaganza, but are just too tired and don't feel like being killed by an irresponsible drunk driver (it is the Fourth, you know). Safest to stay home, haha!

Well, the thunder is rolling, which solidifies our decision to skip the works and stay home. Happy Fourth!!

OH MY, MY!!! What a busy weekend! The kids' cousins, Audrey and Kendell, came to visit. My brother Eric and sister-in-law Emily, the girls' parents, went on a vacation weekend to Savannah, Ga and left the girls with my parents, and I must say, I've about decided that three children is my personal limit. Audrey and Kendell came to our house on Friday where everyone except Natalie played in the slip-n-slide and sand box. We were outside for several hours and got LOTS of sun. Colby and Audrey are tight friends, so they spent much time playing with each other, running and chasing each other. Meredith tried running with the 'big dogs' and kept up well! Little Kendell, who will be 1 year old in just a few days and who has recently started walking, took a couple nose dives into the pool of the slip-n-slide, but managed to keep her face out of the water and laughed when it happened. Natalie mostly stayed inside in the cool and played in the floor. Much fun was had by all.

Saturday, Ryan and I took Colby, Audrey, and Meredith shopping in the severe heat, which was a mistake. The shopping was fun; the putting three kids in car seats three or four times in 90-100 degree weather was not so much. However, the day was made worth it when we ate at the food court in the mall and spied on Western's basketball team, haha! At least it was a big deal for Ryan.

Sunday went well when all 5 kids were asleep at one time for about 30 minutes (thank the Lord for small miracles), and Monday was the birthday party! Since Audrey will be 4 on July 9th and Kendell will be 1 on July 7th, we had a party complete with balloons, two birthday cakes, and one messy 1 year old. Eric and Emily made it to BG in time for the party.