Wow!

I didn't realize it's been so long since I've updated the blog! Summer has been keeping us pretty busy I guess! I will be looking forward to school starting up again and hopefully getting a little bit of a break and have more time to get things done. Since I will have 3 in school full time and then the little boys will be in preschool 3 mornings a week...which will leave just the baby and me 3 mornings a week. I might actually get things done now! Don't get me wrong...I love my kids and spending time with them and the not having to rush around every morning has been nice, but....it will be nice to get some "me" time!

So let me see.... School got out in the beginning of June, but it really didn't feel like summer until July! The weather was so much colder than we are used to over here, it felt really strange wearing a sweatshirt in the summer! But now we are back up to our usual hot weather and have been taking advantage of it by going swimming, playing in the sprinklers, etc...

CJ turned the big three on the 14th of this month. Can't believe he is 3 already....where does it go? He's such a pistol, the kid just melts me... You can tell just by looking at him that he is full of mischief! I tried to get some pictures of him yesterday and he kept me hopping (as usual!) Going to try to get an outdoor shoot of him too as well.

Doogie's birthday is in a couple weeks. Since we aren't doing a friend party for him this year (since his birthday is in the summer and I have no way of getting ahold of his friends) we are going to go to a waterpark with the three oldest (and the baby too), the little boys are going to stay with Grandma and Grandpa and do fun things with them. Then we'll probably do a big family party for him around his actual birthday. He'll actually be gone right until the day before his birthday anyways on a Cub Scout camping trip.

The kids have also enjoyed seeing their cousins a couple times this summer. It's so nice that they now live closer and it's easier to visit! With all the kids being so close to eachother in age it's great that they can get together more frequently and get to know eachother better.

So anyways, nothing super exciting....just been keeping busy doing fun summer stuff! Enjoy the summer pictures!

Cousins

Little Miss Emily and little Miss Cassie only 2 1/2 weeks apart have some fun together.

Jaxon's First Trophy

You would think he had just won a gold medal with the expresion on his face! He had a great time playing his first year of T-Ball!

Adventures in Camping...

Last weekend was Doogie's Boy Scout camping trip. Luckily it was only around 20-30 minutes away from home so the rest of the kids and I could go down during the day and hang out and then go back home at night. The kids were definitely worn out after running around the campground and playground all day, they crashed as soon as we got home and their heads hit the pillow. The weather also decided to cooperate that weekend (we were supposed to get some rain, but it held off until after the camping trip). Cassie definitely enjoys being outside, she was a pretty happy camper. I think our biggest "adventure" of the camping trip though was with CJ. I was holding Cassie and Doug was off doing some other things and talking to other Cub Scout parents, when CJ comes running over to me and told me he had pooped in his pants (and of course with us just being there during the day, I didn't even think of bringing extra clothes!) I quickly started rushing him towards the bathrooms (and luckily these were nice bathrooms, not porta potty's and they came equiped with a shower as well) looking for Doug as I went. I saw him on the way and handed off Cass to him and got CJ into the bathroom. It wasn't pretty...I ended up just tossing his underwear and then I remembered the showers so I thought "hey, I'll just throw him in the shower and get him all cleaned up." Someone had left a bar of soap in the shower thank goodness so I got him washed up and was letting him rinse off when I realized that I had nothing to dry him off with! So I grabbed some toilet paper and started dabbing at him...after doing this for a minute I realized it wasn't working that well (especially when the toilet paper would start sticking to him!) That's when I remembered the hand dryers! So here I am holding up my naked son to the hand dryer trying to get him dried off and I'm just waiting for someone to walk in on me! Luckily no one did and I was able to get him dried off and dressed again (minus the underwear) and back out on the campground. But I did learn an important lesson, always remember spare clothes even if it is just for the day (and normally he hardly ever has accidents) and make sure you bring a towel! All in all though it was a fun time and the kids really enjoyed it. We also decided that this campground and another one not too far past make for a great camping trip when we have the little ones with us, that way we are close to home in case of an emergency!

Ryann's 6th Birthday Bash!

Still can't believe Ryann is 6 already! She turned the big 6 on Friday (May 14th), to celebrate she invited some of her friends to come for a fairy princess birthday party. I made tutus for all the girls and found a bunch of wings (which the girls got to take home with them). We made tiaras and wands and ate pizza (and of course princess cupcakes and ice cream)! I think all the girls had a great time! I kicked the boys out of the house for the party, they got to spend some quality time with Daddy. I think the biggest hit of the party though was the horse tire swing (pictures to come later, still going through them). When Doug got back later with the boys the girls requested that he come out and push them since he can push alot higher than I can! So I think we can call this party a big success! Happy Birthday my sweet little girl! We are so blessed to have you in our lives and to watch you grow up and become the wonderful girl you are!

Floor time

Cassie enjoying some floor time with her new toy!

The only picture I have of all the kids together

And they aren't even looking at the camera! They were all too busy checking out their Easter egg haul! Guess I need to get busy and work on getting a really good one of all 6 of them together (with hopefully all of them looking at the camera!) Also included some pictures of Cassie enjoying the great weather outside on her blanket. Enjoy! :)