We've got something to tell you....

That's right!! McKenna is going to be a big sister and since Christian's already an awesome big brother, he's totally ready to do it again! More details coming soon...

Hot and Sunny Fun

It was a hot day, but the kids didn't seem to notice (although Grandmom and I did).

We started out at the duck pond.

And believe it or not, no one fell in. Probably because Grandmom and I reminded them over and over and over again to get back from the edge.


And no one got eaten by any ducks. Although the ducks did manage to get ahold of that piece of bread McKenna left laying to her left.

The kids were pretty amazed that the ducks followed them to the other side of the pond.

And then it was time for a hike in the woods.

The shade was a welcomed respite from the hot sun. Notice my little cutie tagging along behind.

It blessed my heart when one of the girls noticed and came back to walk with her. McKenna loves the attention of "big girls" and she sure does miss her cousins!

The Cousin Crew

The Post is a REWIND from about three weeks ago.

Can you believe I actually went to the grocery store with this crew??? It wasn't bad at all actually. I just got lots of "You've got your hands full" looks.

We grabbed a couple of pizzas and headed to the ball field to watch Uncle Ryan play softball.
It was a beautiful night. A fun atmosphere and free entertainment for all of us.

There he is!

Christian usually doesn't pay too much attention, but Adam was so into it! He loved knowing what was going on and was super at cheering on the team.

Adam also had a little shadow the entire night and he LOVED it!

Ryan lost his game that night and I think that was a good thing for the kids to experience. They were all so worried about Daddy/Uncle Ryan that he would be so sad. But when he got home (a little while after us) they realized that he wasn't upset and it was a great time to talk about how you win some, you lose some and you move on. Great life lessons!

Cousin Adam's Birthday

We had the best time celebrating our cousin Adam's birthday!
And it was so fun to have him visit for a few days.

It was a fun party with cake and cupcakes! Yum.

And the slip-n-slide was a huge hit.

It's a miracle no one got hurt.

See what I mean!

Even McKenna wanted to try it :)

This team is quite the dangerous duo!

And there's the big 5 year old!

He had a great birthday!

Hot Air Balloon Festival

There was a hot air balloon festival just down the road from our house. I know, so fun, right?
Can you spot all 6 balloons in this picture?


All 10 balloons took off five times over the course of the weekend. We got to see them twice. The first time we could see them from our front yard. It was beautiful! The second time they were supposed to take off in the evening right around dinner time. But the whole thing was delayed by rain clouds, so it was almost dark when they finally floated away. That's why the pictures aren't that great.

It was really amazing!! A fun experience for the kids and for Ryan and I too!

Abby's Dress

I loved this dress on Abby and I love it on McKenna too.

I have very strong, specific memories of Abby in this dress. I remember what we did on the day she wore this dress. I remember conversations, etc. Not quite sure why those memories are seared in my mind, but I know I felt sad when I saw McKenna wearing the dress. Sad that Abby's so far away. Sad that she's going to be a grown-up first grader. We miss that girl terribly and her brother and sister too.

I'm hanging out with this crew today!

It must have been good!