A break?

It's pouring outside and it's been a busy day...week...month.....
So I'm going to take the rest of the day off.
Except for the laundry that needs to be switched
the ladder than needs to be put away
the dishes in the sink that need to find their way to the dishwasher
the children that need to be fed
the baby that needs to be changed
all the clocks that need to be reset since the power went out.....

okay never mind.
I'm going to take the next 30 minutes off and then I'll get back at it!

Ha!!! Now that's funny!

Shoot for the Stars

McKenna laid on the ground yesterday and cried because she wanted a wheelchair and a cast on her leg. I'm not kidding. So I found an ace bandage and wrapped up her foot and she was happy as could be. You see, we watched the new American Girl movie this weekend and the girl is slightly obsessed.

The doll for the year 2012 is named McKenna and my McKenna lives and breathes this girl right now. She told me that she never wants to take ballet again and that she doesn't like soccer, she just likes gymnastics. She pretends she's doing flips and vaults and tumbles all day long.

It's not very often that I rave about a movie but I give this one two thumbs up! It's excellent. It's not really intended for my McKenna's age, but she loves it. There's enough gymnastics action in it to keep her interested. I think it's perfect for girls 6 and up. There is so much to talk about with it. It's the kind of movie that moms and daughters should watch together and talk about. 

And it's the perfect movie to watch before the start of the Olympics!!

Great discussion points:

• McKenna struggles with reading comprehension and I felt like the movie depicted what it was like for her to struggle with reading really well. Lots of great discussion with that!!!
• McKenna thinks gymnastics are more important than school.
• McKenna tries to keep it a secret from her friends that she's getting tutored and lies to her best friend.
• McKenna gets hurt during one of her practices because she didn't obey her coach.
• McKenna's tutor is disabled and she's insensitive to her tutor regarding her disability.
• Overall McKenna learns the importance of obeying the person in authority over her. She learns how to be a good friend. She learns the importance of working hard in school. She learns how to accept other people who are different than her.

Moo!!!

 We LOVE Chick-fil-a and make sure to mark our calendars each summer when they have their "Cow Appreciation Day." If you dress like a cow you get a free meal.  Will is not a part of the above picture because he was absolutely terrified when the giant cow walked into the room.

 They're saying "moo." The costumes this year will not be repeated next year. Cutting out paper spots and taping them on shirts does not work.  Next year we're going to just draw spots on old undershirts.

 Chrish!

 Me and my herd (well some of them).

We saw this creative cow in the parking lot and asked to take it's picture. I think this will be a great idea when my kids get a little older! Then you get your free meal and can take it off easily.

A few more pictures from my iphone:

 

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So much to think about with this verse:

"I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands." Deuteronomy 5:10 NLT

ambush!!!!!!!!!!

We had a little surprise waiting for daddy when he got home one night. The kids have barely seen him in the last month, so it was time to have a little fun since daddy was actually going to be home while it was still light outside.

Will was so excited about the water balloons. We had to spend the next 20 minutes trying to keep him from popping all of them before Ryan got home.

Chasing a water balloon that Will got his hands on.

Waiting.....

Here he comes.....they were ready!

I texted him ahead of time and told him to leave his cell phone in the car when he got home :)  They soaked him.

But he got them back!!!

Christian thought he was tough stuff until I surprised him by pulling the hose out from behind a bush and then he was the one who was soaked!!! ha!

Cell Phone Dump

I just downloaded a few weeks worth of cell phone pictures! There's no rhyme or reason to any of this, most of these are just pictures I text Ryan throughout the day!

Three of my most favorite girls!

Christian after an evening swim.

My yard is full of clover. So annoying.

A note Christian wrote to Ryan just before the 4th of July. It says "Have fun. Be tough." We texted it to Ryan and it was just the encouragement he needed.

Daddy got new glasses. We sent him this picture to show him that we picked them up for him.

Silly girl in Daddy's glasses.

My new favorite nail polish. It's super cheap. Got it at CVS. "Spoiled" by Wet & Wild. I put the silver on first and the sparkles on second. It's super hard to get off, which is why I love it. It's been on my toes for a month and I haven't had to touch it up.

Will: Reading at Grandmom's house.

She wrote a book. She gets worked up about the fact that she can't write that many real words and she gets discouraged that she can't read....which is crazy because Christian could have cared less about these things at her age, but it bugs her.  So I explained to her that when she makes up words or "reads" a story that it's called "PRE-READING." And that pre-reading skills help you to learn to read for real. That's all she needed to hear. Now that she has an official term for it, she spends lots of time working on her pre-reading skills.

He made a mustache.

Christian went to grown up church with me one week so that he could take communion for the first time. I loved it that when our pastor was talking about the last supper, Christian leaned over and said "I know what he's talking about." We had talked about communion ahead of time and it was a great experience for him.

Cousins!

This is what happens to a foam baseball when it gets stuck on top of a light bulb and the light gets left on.

Sleepy faces.

Helping mommy clean.

He was so proud of himself that he climbed up on that chair by himself. Now if only he wouldn't stand up on the table.

Handsome hair cut. He hated it and screamed but the results were worth it.

Yup, that says 100 degrees!

We twisted McKenna's hair one night before bed, into little knots on her head. It was so cute to see her with curly hair. Then she got in the pool and that was the end of the curls.

4th of July - 2012

 It's our tradition to go to the 4th of July parade in a nearby town.

 Christian on the 4th of July!

 This was Will's 1st fourth of July parade. I love this picture...there's nothing more American that a flag and a McDonalds :)

 McKenna held her ears for the majority of the parade. She does not like sirens.

 Christian was glad his buddy Carter was there because he thinks parades are boring.

 I guess we need to teach Will come flag etiquette.

Then it was time to go swimming! We were so hot!

Will spends most of his time outside of the pool.

It was a great 4th!!! Thankful for this country.

1st Popsicle

 We gave Will a Popsicle.

 This is his face when something tastes really cold.

 It took him a minute to recover.

 Then he decided he liked it!!!

Yay Will!!!