Updates!

As I look at the calendar, I can't hardly believe June is nearly over! We had a busy month filled with lots of fun! Here is a recap of some of the fun stuff we did during the month of June.

Trip to the Zoo

We headed out to the zoo on an overcast morning, but it cleared off shortly after lunch and we had a blast. There are several new exhibits this year. The brown bear was out and playing in the water. The kiddos thought it was fun to watch him playing with a log.

I love getting pics of my kids from behind to see their various heights. This one was funny since they all look about the same height courtesy of the fence and stroller!

We took our swim gear just in case it was nice to stop at the splash park. Thankful we did!! They had so. much. FUN!!! Matthew is fearless when it comes to all things water related!

They all thought it was great to drink from this apparatus. I'm sure they got the idea from some other kid...

Who's kid is that, anyway??

Sweet Elizabeth has had a 180 when it comes to water related activities after a weekend trip to Ohio over Memorial Day. She slipped at the hotel pool, but ended up getting in and loving it!! Swim lessons are soon to follow so we're anticipating great things...

Fearless and just plain crazy!

The three amigos.

Jonathan was karate-chopping the water. Pictures don't do it justice, but it was pretty funny!

Our fair-skinned, red-head really keeps me on the straight and narrow when it comes to sunscreen. I've found some that sprays on (and works!) on wet skin! Here's hoping for a sunburn free summer....

Greenwood Air Show

Sometime all free opportunies are not equal. I'd heard about the local airport putting on an airshow with this Ford airplane as the central attraction. We headed over one night after dinner. There were no signs, really no one said anything to us, so we just helped ourselves to looking around. The kiddos thought the plane was pretty neat.

After a while, Elizabeth and I got in to have a look. We noticed they were putting other planes in the hangar and even were closing the larger overhead door. Still, no one had said anything to us. A man came over and was closing the door on the plane and we were trying to get out. He said, "Oh, I didn't realize you were in here!" Apparently not!! So, we were not too impressed with the two-bit air show, but when the price is free, you can't always get your expectations up too high.

Summer rain

The kiddos love to play in the water and we love it even more when it's not going to be coming through on our next month's water bill. So, we had a day FULL of rain. We'd made cookies (our rainy day tradition), watched the Sound of Music and finally after dinner, the kids wanted to go out and play in the 'stream' in our backyard.

I love how Elizabeth was being so lady-like in holding up her dress so she wouldn't get it wet while running and splashing in the water... needless to say, she was soaked from head to toe!

Matthew was having a ball....until he tripped! So glad David caught this one on the camera! Being the tough guy that he is, he got up and went back to splashing about!!

Potty training

When Matthew was born, I was so excited to have another boy to even out and complete our family. But in all truthfulness, I was not at all excited about having another boy to potty train. Potty training is, in fact, one of my least favorite parts of motherhood. I had been dreading this day for a while. To our pleasant surprise, Matthew has been so great and I would say is 90% trained! Our first few days, we had a couple of accidents a day. But after a week and a half, he was staying dry for his naps. After two weeks, he's been mostly dry at night! Who knew that God would be so gracious to give me this gift and make this an enjoyable experience for our entire family!

I love how cute Matthew looks from behind in his big boy shorts! Another milestone passed....

Daytrip to meet Garrett

We were able to work out a daytrip to a fun park that we've found over the years on our trips to Ohio to meet up with my oldest niece and her boyfriend. She'd been in Ohio training to start a new job as a flight attendant. She is having a ball on this new adventure. She also has been dating a nice young man and we were excited to meet him.

Miss E showing off her balancing skills along with a stellar smile.

Matthew loves slides. The faster, the better. Remember earlier in this lengthy post I mentioned he was fearless?!?

Our sweet Caroline is surely growing up this summer! She is turning into a beautiful young lady -- inside and out. It's lots of work, but we are seeing glimpses of our hard work paying off!

Jonathan found a great hiding spot and it took us a while to find him. He has a great way of folding his body into a small space.

Caroline and Hannah. Hannah always used to tell me when she was about Caroline's age how she was going to be taller than me when she grew up. Well, that's true. I can only hope and pray that Caroline also turns out like Hannah. She is truly a beautiful gal -- inside and out!

Every family has to have a crazy uncle -- ours just happens to be David. He wanted to give Garrett a good first impression... notice the glasses placement and his stance! I know, somebody's gotta love him. At least, it's lots of fun :)

So, there is a recap of June. I'd apologize for the lack of posts, but frankly, it's summer and we are having fun! Please don't stop checking in on us...you may be pleasantly surprised with a post when you are least expecting it....