First Day of School!

Today was the first day of school for my sweet babies. Emily is in the 5th grade and has the best teacher -- Mrs. Cutshaw. Caitlynn had her two years ago and loved her so much. So, Emily was so thrilled to have gotten her. Ryan is in the 3rd grade this year and he has Mrs. Butler, who is a wonderful teacher, too. Emily didn't have her in the 3rd grade and neither did Caitlynn or Hunter, so I don't have much to go on, except that from what I hear, she is great. Ryan had a wonderful first day with her. He said that she was so nice. Emily had the best day, too. I'm so happy that they were still smiling when I picked them up.

We did have a bit of a fiasco this morning, though. This has been the first year that we have been allowed to ride the bus, because they said that we lived too close to the school to ride the bus. However, this year they changed the boundaries and if you live 1/2 a mile, or more, away from the school, then you can ride the bus. We live a mile away. Anyway, we were out there early, because we walked to Kelli's so that we could get a picture taken with Caitlynn and Hunter, before they went to school, and the bus was supposed to come at 7:26am. Well, by 7:38a, we got the car and just took them. We are going to try again tomorrow and see how it works. I have no problem taking them, so I will do that if we continue to have a problem.

After school, Kelli, Scott, and I took all the kids to Dairy Queen to get ice cream. They have a fun time. I'm going to close with some pictures from the day!

Emily, my 5th grader ~

Ryan, my 3rd grader ~

My sweet babies. They are growing up too quickly ~

Emily, Caitlynn, Hunter, and Ryan ~

Ryan, Emily, and Jessie (our neighbor), waiting for the bus, that NEVER came ~

All the cousins, after their tasty Dairy Queen treat ~

Update Time!

It's time for an update, since I have been rather slacking in the blogging department lately. This week, Emily and Caitlynn had "Worship Arts Camp" at the church they attended for Bible School. They had so much fun and got to pick three types of art classes to take. Their schedule was: Photography, Sign Language, and STOMP! They really enjoyed their week. Emily's favorite classes were photography and STOMP! I'll have to check with Caitlynn on her favorite classes, but I'd be willing to guess that they were the same as Emily's. I would drop them off every day at 8:30 and pick them up at 2:30. They really enjoyed themselves. While the girls were at their camp, Ryan and Hunter were at skateboarding camp again. They learned a lot of new tricks, which made us feel better since their camp is a bit on the "pricey" side. It was nice to have all four of them at camp, at the same time. While they were at camp, I enjoyed some free time on Monday and Tuesday, which is a coveted luxury, during the summer months! hahaha! I watched Brandon and Joshy the remainder of the week, so they kept me very busy. Yesterday, we had a great day at the pool. It was so hot and we definitely enjoyed the water. Joshy has become very brave. Emily and Caitlynn were taking turns throwing him and he just loved it. He even let them put him under the water and took his water wings off. Brandon is still a bit nervous, but is very slowly coming around. Here are a couple of pictures and a video at the end, of the girls throwing Joshy. To 'hear' it, you will need to scroll down to the bottom and put my playlist on 'pause.'

Em and Joshy ~
Emily and Caitlynn, throwing Joshy ~

Friday, July 18, 2008

Early this morning, Caitlynn got picked up to go camping, with South and his family. So, after I got her off for her trip, Emily woke up with her ear still hurting! Poor Emily, her ear had been hurting for the past few days and I didn't really think that it was anything to be concerned about. Well, I was wrong. When she woke up, she told me that she was up a lot throughout the night. I called the doctor and they told us to come in at 9:40am -- yikes -- we had to rush, but made it! Luckily, Rob went into work a little bit later, so he dropped Ryan and Hunter off, at skate camp (their last day). I took Brandon and Joshy with us. Well, after waiting for an hour and a half, we were finally seen! Dr. Holman told us that Emily had swimmers ear. We were sent home with a prescription and instructions on Emily NOT going underwater for SEVEN days!! He told her that the length of her hair was perfect for "cutting a little deal." He said that she could still get in the pool, as long as her hair didn't get wet! So, at least she is still able to get in the pool and "cool" off. Nana and Poppy have tons of floats that she can enjoy. So, we plan on going tomorrow (Saturday).

After we picked the boys up from camp, we took Hunter to a friend's house to spend the night. Then, we went to IcePlex for Emily's private lesson! She did such a great job and passed to the next level -- Freestyle 2. So, this means, that she can practice on the ice, during Freestyle sessions, without her coach present. What a huge accomplishment. She has only been taking lessons for 10-months and has just soared through the levels. She is quite the natural and I just love watching her.

Nana and Poppy came over tonight, to visit. They are heading out of town and wanted to say "goodbye," before they left. It was nice seeing them.

Rainy Days = Craft Time!

What do WE do on a rainy day???? CRAFTS!!!!


Joshy showing off the lion that I helped him make. Ryan showing off the puppy that he made. These were only $1.00, at Michael's. They were made of foam. What an easy and fun project!

Emily showing off the monkey that she made!

Caitlynn showing off the mouse that she made!

Brandon showing off the lion that he made ALL by himself!

Hunter showing off the puppy that he made!

Joshy's and Brandon's picture frames that they painted! We bought the sports balls already pre-painted!

Ryan's and Emily's picture frames that they painted! Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of Caitlynn's and Hunter's, before they went home.


The girls did some sand bottles, with lots of different colors of sand, while Ryan and Hunter did a peg project. During this time, the little boys (Brandon and Joshy) were watching a movie ("quiet time").

We are still working on some pom-pom projects. Emily is working on a monkey, Caitlynn is actually finished with a fluffy dog, and Ryan and Hunter will be working on sharks. I'll post pictures, once those projects are completed!

Bible School and Skate Camp!

Today was the start of "Outrigger Island: Living God's Unshakable Truth" Vacation Bible School, for Emily, her two friends (Maddy and Morgan), Brandon, and Joshy. The three girls were in the same class. Brandon was in his own class and so was Joshy. They go by "age" for the children, who haven't started elementary school. For the older children, they go by the grade that they just completed. Everyone had so much fun. I loved seeing how excited Brandon and Joshy were when they came out of their classes, because this was their first year at Bible School. They go from 8:45am - 12:30pm, so it's a nice break for me and a fun time for the children! Scott met me up there to pick Brandon and Joshy up, because he was off work today. I will have them for the remainder of the week, though. I dropped Emily off with Nana and she took the girls to see "Kung-Fu Panda." Emily and Sarah both really enjoyed it.

So, as you can imagine by my title, Ryan started skate camp today. This was the first session of the summer and we will probably sign him up for one more, maybe two. The camp is from 10:00am - 2:00pm. He had a great time and is working on some new tricks. He loves to skateboard. He's looking forward to tomorrow so that he can continue to perfect his new tricks. Rob picked him up and then he went over to his friend's house. Ryan didn't want to go to the movie, so that's why Nana and the girls went to an earlier movie, instead of waiting for him to get out of his camp. For some reason, he is really nervous about going to movies. He gets really panicked and doesn't like it. I have never heard of a child being afraid of the movie theaters, but he is. I guess this is just another phase that he's going through. With movies being so expensive now anyway, I guess it's better, on the budget, to only take one child. LOL! So, my sweet boy waits for them to come out on video to watch the movies.

Before I end, I should mention that my baby girl has a sty on her upper eye-lid and it's pretty painful. Luckily, Rob's Mom had just bought some over-the-counter medicine for them (she gets about 5 a year, she says). Before they went to the movie, Nana put some in her eye and made it feel much better. She sent her home with the medicine and we put some on her sty before she went to bed. I hope that it feels better tomorrow morning.

I still have tons of pictures on my camera, that I can't download, yet. We still haven't done anything about our low memory problem, on our computer. When we do fix the problem, I will update with tons of pictures.

Time for bed, for me!!

Recap on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday!

Hello! I just wanted to recap on the past few days, since I haven't blogged. Unfortunately, I am not able to post any pictures because our computer's virtual memory is low right now. Therefore, I am not able to download any pictures at this time. I am taking them, lots of them actually, but they are still right on my camera, just waiting to make their way to their permanent home! LOL!! Anyway, before we head to the Chesapeake City Skate Park, I wanted to quickly post on what we've been up to, the past three days! So, without further ado, here goes:

TUESDAY: Emily, Ryan and I spent our day at Buckroe Beach! It was so much fun. I have tons of wonderful pictures and will post, once our computer issue is fixed. We had only planned on staying for a couple hours, because I hadn't even packed lunch --just drinks and a few snacks. But, we had so much fun, the time got away from us. I mentioned Emily meeting a new friend, in my Ten Things Tuesday post. So, she had fun playing with her, while Ryan skim-boarded! He is getting really good at it. I even got in the water, because there wasn't a jellyfish to be found! We also signed them up for the summer reading at the library! They came home and read, and read, and read!! What a terrific Tuesday!!!

WEDNESDAY: Emily, Ryan, Brandon, Joshy, and I went to Water Country for the second time this summer. We got there right when it opened and were able to just walk right up on the rides, without having to wait in any lines! Apparently, we went in the opposite direction, of most, and hit rides that no one else had made it to, yet!! After we got home and my brother picked Brandon and Joshy up, I took Emily and Ryan to the library again! They had finished all the books they picked out on Tuesday and were ready to replenish! I love to see them reading! What a wonderful Wednesday!!!

THURSDAY: Emily, Ryan, Brandon, Joshy, and I went to Nana and Poppy's pool in the morning. We swam for a couple of hours and came back home to eat lunch. We had "quiet time" with a movie and the little boys fell asleep. While they were sleeping, Emily and Ryan read some more and then went out on a bike ride. That evening, Emily had ice skating lessons and Ryan went to Mike's to skateboard. After lessons, Emily stayed at the public session to skate (they have these during the summer, after lessons, because there isn't any hockey going on). She had fun with a few of her friends and they actually had the ice to themselves. So, it was great! After that, we came home and went to bed! What a tiring (and, terrific) Thursday!!!

We are about to head to the skate park. We are really looking forward to checking this one out. It's about 30-minutes away and we have never been. We are picking up Ryan's friend and Emily and I will play with the boys, while they are on the ramps. Luckily, a huge playground is right beside the skate park. I will post details, after we get home. Emily and Ryan are both having friends sleep over tonight, so they will be busy with them and I will have time to blog! Have a great day!

Our First Day of Summer Break!

We had such a wonderful, first day of summer break!!! I had all the kids today and it was fun. Caitlynn and Emily painted rocks in the morning, while all the boys were playing with tech decks (finger skateboards). I caught up on a little bit of laundry, while they were entertaining themselves. After they were all finished playing inside, I got the sprinkler out. The lawn and flowers needed some watering and it was a good excuse for the kids to run through it. I was a little short on bathing suits because Ryan, Caitlynn, and Hunter left theirs at Nana and Poppy's house. Luckily, Emily had two at home and Caitlynn was able to use one of them. I had to put Brandon in an old pair of Ryan's shorts. Joshy just stayed in the shorts that he had on. And, Ryan just used a pair of his shorts. Hunter didn't play in the sprinkler, though. They all had a blast and I loved watching their excitement. They had so much fun, but I think Joshy was the MOST excited about it. He played in it the longest! After they were done, the girls went in and took a nice, hot, LONG bath.

They also went on a few bike rides around the neighborhood. The temperature was warm, but not too hot. Ryan and Hunter got their skateboards out and did some tricks on the ramp. Brandon loves to be with them. He can't wait until he is older so that he can go to Mike's to skate with his older cousins.

After lunch, we put a movie in and the little boys had "quiet time." They both ended up falling asleep for a little bit. While they were asleep, we had a surprise visit from the Soley's (Suzy, and her boys, Zachary and Connor), who moved to Williamsburg last year. Ryan and Connor have been best buddies since preschool and we have not been able to catch up with them at all! Emily and Zachary have been friends since they were 3-years old and in the same preschool class. They didn't come in, because they were just passing through, on the way to another friend's house. It was wonderful seeing them. We hope to catch up with them over the summer.

After the Soley's left, Rob took Ryan and Hunter to skate, at Mike's. It was a nice surprise for them because they didn't expect to go that early. Rob had planned on taking them at 6:00, for the last session of the day. So, they got to skate two sessions. Then, Rob took Ryan out to eat. This is their Thursday night tradition. Ryan came home exhausted!!!

Emily had ice skating lessons tonight. She is in an "Edge" class for the first half hour, which she loves! They do nothing but practice skating on the inside and outside edges of their skates, spins, and ballet moves. They also have music playing and she is doing such a great job. After Edge class, she has her regular lessons. Then, Emily and I went to Arby's for dinner. This is our Thursday night tradition. It's just the two of us and it's a special time for some mother/daughter bonding. She came home exhausted, as well!!

We ended the night with a family game of Uno! I'll add that I didn't win one hand AT ALL and we played tons!! LOL!!! But, we all had fun and we enjoyed family time together. I love my little family so much!

I'm going to close with some pictures of the kids, playing in the sprinkler. We had a wonderful day and are looking forward to our summer break!! I'm not going to label each picture tonight, as I have a ton. But, I have to say that the one's of the girls, just warm my heart. They are so close and are more like sisters, than cousins. So, as you can imagine, with that closeness comes some serious arguments. It's so beautiful to see the love they have for each other. Enjoy ~~~

The Weekend!

We had such a nice weekend; although, we didn't get to see Rob that much at all. In fact, as I write this, he's still playing in a golf tournament. We miss him so much when he's not around and he's been working a lot lately. Sunday is usually reserved for "family day." He doesn't work on Sundays and we usually do something fun with all of us. His friend asked him to be in a golf tournament that is being held in memory of his father and brother, who both have passed away. Rob accepted the invitation and we definitely understand him being away from us today. But, we still miss him!

So, let me back up to Friday ~~~

My brother went out of town this weekend and asked me if I would keep his children (Brandon and Joshy) overnight, until their Mom could pick them up on Saturday. I gladly accepted and we had a fun night with them. Emily especially loves for them to come over and acts like a little "mommy" to them. She is so loving and nurturing. She definitely reminds me of myself at that age -- always flocking towards the youngest at any gathering. She is just so sweet to them. Ryan is tolerant and tries to be patient, but is not as much, when it comes to the little boys getting into his room, his things, and his personal space!! LOL!! We played games with them, watched "The Wild Thornberry" movie, and ate popcorn. Then, they all bunked-out in Ryan's room. He has the bunk bed and futon, so there is definitely more "sleeping" space in his room. They ended up in bed around 8-ish, and fell asleep pretty quickly.

Rob had to work very early on Saturday morning and said that they were actually all awake around 6:30am. Emily fixed their breakfast for them and I stayed in bed until 7:30. After playing outside and going for a walk, their Mom picked Brandon and Joshy up and we went to Nana and Poppy's (Rob's parents) pool. The water temperature is still a little too cold for me, but Emily and Ryan had a blast.

When Nana came home from work she told us to quickly get in my van and drive to a yard sale around the corner from her house. They had two bikes that she wanted us to look at for Ryan. He has a very small bike that we bought him for his fourth birthday and he has long since outgrown it. He has actually been riding Emily's bike, which is pink and white. So, she thought that she would buy them for him so that we wouldn't have to go out right away and get a brand new bike. With the exception of a little bit of rust, the bikes were in great condition. She bought both of them just in case we needed to use one for parts. The one that he's riding is a red and black Mongoose. He loves it. Then, they gave Emily the bike that has been in their garage for about 4-years, that they had bought at another yard sale, in hopes that their oldest granddaughter (Rob's sister's daughter), would learn to ride. She hasn't learned how to ride a bike and is not interested in learning (she will actually be 13-years old in September), so they let us take that home with us. Emily's pink and white bike is actually a Barbie one and she has definitely outgrown it. This one won't last much longer for her, either, but it was nice to have something for her, too. They were both so excited and I've included pictures of them riding their "new, for them" bikes. Nana and Poppy also got their bikes out and joined in on the fun. Rob came over, after he got off work, and rode his Dad's bike. He even popped some wheelies, but I didn't get a picture of it in time.

Today, after church, we came home and got the bikes out. Emily and Ryan want to ride their bikes to school from now on. So, I got in the van and we did a "trial" run to school. I had to follow in the van, because I don't have a bike, yet. And, I knew that I would have to run to keep up with them -- something that I am not going to do!! LOL!! We live quite a ways from school, so it's not like it's just around the corner. I wanted to make sure that they left in plenty of time to get to school, stopped at every stop sign, knew the rules of the road and crossing guard, and that they were able to get the bikes in the bike rack to lock them up. I will actually be following them to school every morning, because I drive a friend's children to school every day. So, I will be in my van anyway. Also, I pick Hunter up from school, so I will be following them home, too. LOL! They did such a great job and it only took us 4-minutes to get there, which really surprised me! They have been wanting to do this for a long time now, but we knew that Ryan couldn't ride his tiny bike up there and keep up with Emily. After we did that, we played on the playground for a little bit. Then, we rode back home and went to Target. They have both been saving their money and Emily bought a couple of things, in the dollar section. She also bought a "Pucci Purse," that has a stuffed puppy. Ryan bought a Tony Hawk skate park and another package of tech decks (finger skateboards). Now, we are just relaxing at home. Emily is about to go to the pool again, with Sarah. She called and invited her to go to Nana and Poppy's to swim. Ryan didn't want to go, so he is playing with his tech decks. They have been on about six bike rides today!! I really have to get a bike ~~ imagine the weight that I could lose if I went on a bike ride each time that my precious children did! I've been catching up on laundry, though.

Well, that's about it for today. Rob actually just called and told me that the tournament is over. So, he should be home within the hour. We are cooking out for dinner and will enjoy spending the remainder of the day together ~~~ I can't wait!!!

Here are some pictures from the weekend!



Here's Joshy ~

Here's Brandon ~

Here's Emily ~

Here's Ryan ~

Emily taking her 1st plunge-of-the-day ~

Ryan taking his 1st plunge-of-the-day ~

My sweet babies ~

Ryan on his "new, for him" bike ~

Ryan, Poppy, Emily, and Nana ~

Emily, Ryan, and Daddy (Rob had to join in on the fun.) ~

Yard Work ~~~

After a VERY rainy day yesterday, it was such a welcome change to have some beautiful weather today. It was so nice, in fact, that we did some yard work. We had some hosta to plant, tree branches to cut down, grass to cut, and so on and so forth. I basically monitored the job, cleaned up the tree branches, and took pictures. I took so many pictures that I actually had to create a little slide show, instead of putting individual ones up. I had all the children today -- all the cousins together -- I love it!

Brandon and Joshy were napping, while Rob cut the front yard. So, when they woke up, Rob was cutting the back yard and Brandon ran out to help. Joshy and I were playing a game. When they had finished cutting the grass, Joshy realized that he didn't get to help and Rob actually cut the front yard again (yes, I said AGAIN), so that Joshy could help. See -- I told you all that he is the most wonderful hubby!

Rob cut down some big branches that were hanging over our house. We all helped pick up the leaves and branches that were cut down. The girls had fun playing in the huge branches that were cut down. They also had fun climbing the big tree. The bigger boys (Hunter and Ryan) pretty much stayed in the driveway skateboarding. I am actually posting those pictures separately, from my slide show, because I have so many of the yard work.

As I close for now, I am thinking again about how lucky I am that I have my family. We had such a fun day and enjoyed being together, having fun, and doing yard work! I am so blessed!!!

Enjoy my slide show ~~~

Ryan making good use of that tree branch and his ramp. Look at how high he got!


Look at Hunter grabbing his board. I know there's a special name for that trick, but I don't know what it's called!


Ryan doing the same trick as Hunter is doing above. I will have to ask the boys to look at the pictures and tell me the proper terminology!

Cute Cousins ~~~

I had the whole gang today!! I just love for all the cousins to be together! Here are a few pictures to share. These were taken after school. The older boys (Ryan and Hunter) are really starting to get annoyed when they see my camera come out. That's why some of the times, they do not look too thrilled in their pictures!! LOL! Enjoy!!




All of the sweet cousins!

Not only are they cousins, they are like sisters! They remind me so much of Kelli and I when we were little -- we'd argue one minute and would be best friends again, just as quickly. I'm so happy they have each other. My sister and I have such a close bond that I really wanted Emily to experience a "sister." Well, she definitely has one in my sweet niece, Caitlynn! They are beautiful!

The handsome boys. Ryan actually doesn't look annoyed in this picture. Hunter is wanting to get back to his homework. Brandon isn't showing teeth, like he usually does. Look at Joshy -- too cute!

Pictures Before School!

I love taking pictures and decided to take some before school this morning! If you notice Ryan's shoelaces, you will see that he has a white one and a black one. While we were about to walk out the door to go to school, on Tuesday, the black one broke. Luckily, his skating shoes always come with an extra set of laces; however, he only wanted the white lace to replace the broken one. Apparently, that's how the skateboarders wear their laces. I will have to take note of the shoes that the skaters are wearing the next time we're at Mike's (the indoor skate park that we visit).