Son Quest Rainforest VBS

the stage set up was AMAZING..and yes..there was a waterfall! this was the only picture i could get of braden because he was in the very back behind by hundreds of kids. poor guy couldn't see a thing!

i LOVE the 'i just found mommy in the
audience' smile:)

kinsey was BEYOND thrilled to participate up on stage! both the girls were in the front so i was able to get pics of them.

great job, guys!

The kids did VBS at Mount Vernon again this year and LOVED it! It's an amazing program complete with giant water slides outside and this year had a waterfall inside the sanctuary. Everyday they got in the van all talking at once to tell me about how much fun they had, what games they played, what kind of snack they had and what crafts they made. At the end of the week they put on a short program of four songs and the kids were just so excited to perform on stage. They all learned and practiced the motions and sweet kinsey girl was just thrilled. Great job my sweet babies!

Cailey's 3rd triathlon...and braden!

all ready at her transition spot
(yep..it's sunrise. they had to be there
SUPER early!)

they were excited to be beside each other!

taking him to the pool

kinsey was with me cheering while brian was volunteering on the bike
course and had ephram in the stroller. cailey and braden had to wait quite
a while for their turns because the youngest ones went last. they were the first
two to go in their age group.

almost time to get in!

and she's off! then out! then to transition where she was really
slowed down because of her tie shoes and HUGE shirt on her wet body.
next time we'll be getting a belt and tie shoes!

GO CAILEY!!! I always run to where ever the kiddos are and cheer for them SO loudly! I'm one proud mama bear!

almost to the finish line!

YAY!

way to go, guys! cailey NEVER quit...never walked...
neither one of them did. they both tried their very best!

apparently whenever a biker would
ride by ephram said, "no no!" we worked
on "go" and he knows how to say it but he thought
"no" was more appropriate:)

proud of our kiddos!

way to go, Cailey!

ms. kinsey is no longer afraid of bok bok moo cows, or any other costumed
characters and now runs right up to them (some would say attacks) and hugs
them. she hung out with Y guy for a LONG time while awards were being
given out.

Cailey participated in her third triathlon this summer and did a great job! She did her best and had a great time. Swimming is her favorite and biking was her least favorite. (Biking was also almost ALL uphill and super hard). She's come a LONG way with her swimming and it was neat to think that last year she could barely swim two laps and now can do that very easily. She loved having Braden there with her too!

The night before the triathlon we went to pick up their race packets and they were able to 'carb up' on baked ziti and garlic bread from Milton's. We LOVE supporting our racers and cheering them on! Cailey's bummed about not being able to do the next one in August (it's actually on her birthday) but we'll be on vacation and she'll be having a blast at the water park that day.

kinsey

My name is Kinsey. K-I-N-S-E-Y. I like to play games. I love mommy. I love daddy. I love Cailey. I love Braden. I love Ephram. I love Macy girl. I miss Macy girl. I like to hug Ephram and play with him. I like to eat ice cream. Ice cream is yummy. ssert (dessert) is my favorite. I really like to sing on stage and dance too. I liked going to VBS and singing like a big girl. I'm a big girl. I'm 4 and 3 quarters. That means my birthday is soon. My birthday is in 3 more months. Then I'm going to be 5. I'm a big girl. I know how to write my name and say my letter sounds now. I want to do school like kindergarten. I can ride my big girl bike now. I don't need the little girl bike no more. I love you mommy. I like to do crafts and color and draw.

i walked in to find kinsey up here...and she didn't even
need to use a stool. silly girl has ALWAYS been a climber and VERY
resourceful!

summer sprayground fun

we met the papa's there and stayed for dinner:)!

cailey LOVES playing with Lucas and Ephram
in the water

They played ring around the rosie and the babies loved it! Braeden always includes sweet Ephram too and loved playing peek a boo with him. (We were only there for a little while in the water before going to eat dinner so I didn't get E out to go in the fountains that time...and he didn't care because he had plenty of people to play with.

after dinner they always like 'hitching' a ride on the
train, walking around, and throwing a penny in the fountain.

we went to the sprayground with the klicks too...and had a
picnic lunch outside.

the 'are you looking?' face before doing
something he knows it naughty:)

I wasn't sure the older kiddos would still like the sprayground this summer but we've actually been there several times and they always had a blast! We always bring toys along with us for them to play with in the water (and non toys like cups, bowls, etc. to make rise with the water). Cailey has a great time bringing Ephram in it and playing with him too.

We went on a few playdates there so far too and had fun playing with different friends. This is always a great FREE activity to do on hot summer days when there's not enough time to go to the pool!

ephram's stats

Last week ephram went to the doctor for his one year check up. We're a month off because of the adoption so it was technically his 13 month check up. I knew he had grown longer but felt like he hadn't gotten heavier and unfortunately I was right. Ephram actually lost some weight since his last visit (april 22..exactly 3 months ago). He weighs 18 lbs (lost a few oz) and is 29 inches (grew and inch). ALL my babies were 19 lbs at a year and i assumed he would be a little heavier. He's gone through some phases of not wanting to eat or drink when he's teething but seems to MORE than make up for it the next day.

He is eating great and isn't too picky...as a fourth he also gets LOTS of 'junky' things my other kids NEVER had at his age (ice cream, chick fil a, crackers, etc.) His typical day of meals is- breakfast: HUGE (like bigger than an adult serving) bowl of oatmeal with bananas milk (when he'll drink it), lunch: yogurt, 1/2 pb sandwich, fruit, milk, dinner: whatever we eat which is usually a meat or pasta and veggies.

The doctor was a little concerned about it and wondered if he isn't absorbing calories (because he's poops in his diaper 4-7 times a day) but she's going to bring him for a weight check in two months (and his MMR).

For now we're ALL having fun trying to stuff him like a turkey and literally following him around with his cup of milk. The kids are trying to earn things by getting him to drink a whole cup of milk. I love that they want to get involved! The doctor said most kids drink TOO much milk but if we can get two cups a day in him we'll be THRILLED.

Braden's Baptism Video

Braden was baptized before he gave his testimony because of looming thunder storms. We are SO proud of you, braden!

talk time

Back in June, Cailey had to ride in the front seat of the van for a couple days and I couldn't get over how big (or old) she seemed. We will definitely hold off on riding in the front for safety reasons but it's amazing how many good...no...great conversations we were able to have while she was up there. Even with a car full of kids it seemed like just the two of us. Sometimes she'd read..but most of the time we chatted. I cherish the times when I get to talk just with one of the kids and really get to their hearts.

what's cuter than minnie mouse?

minnie mouse eating a bomb pop!

minnie mouse (aka kinsey) LOVES popsicles. i think every kid loves popsicles but kinsey LOVES popsicles! she came to me dressed as minnie mouse and i just couldn't resist granting her request of a bomb pop. then the other kiddos came for one. then the neighbor kids came. they had a popsicle party with an appearance of minnie mouse:).