New Look...AGAIN!

Okay...I just couldn't resist the polka dots so I changed again!

Catching Up

They are too cute!!


Sophie


Macy


The girls and Baby Lucy


Abby and Molly chillin'


I think this post will be a big blob of rambling because I have so much to catch up on. Let's see...a few weekends ago I traveled to Charleston with the 3 girls while John took Jack to Myrtle Beach for some boy time. We went home for Cousin Abby's 3rd birthday which was a princess themed day in the sun. Staci had lots of pools, slip-n-slides, and jump castles for the kids. Molly enjoyed running around with Abby (they LOVE each other) and the girls got some pool time in with Baby Lucy.

After that weekend, Aunt Staci came up with Max, Abby, and Lucy for the week to help me out. Staci was an ANGEL and watched all 7 kids for quite a good amount of time...XOXOXO! I think all of the kids really enjoyed themselves and everyone survived. When Staci left, Grammy and Grampy came for the weekend and watch the kids and cooked...YUMMY! I am so thankful for all of the wonderful help!!!!

What else...I started back to work on Tuesdays and Thursdays at school. I am really excited to get back into the groove. Jack is getting ready to start kindergarten next week. He has met his teachers and many classmates already and he is very excited. He has Mrs. Mayo and Ms. Henning this year and I cannot be more excited. He goes in Monday for 1 hour and then his first full day is Thursday!! Molly will start preschool right after Labor Day so we are getting ready to be really busy!

Sophie and Macy have FINALLY started walking!!! They are absolutely precious. They are all over the place and into everything especially the china cabinet. I have figured out that Macy is my SWEET SWEET girl who likes to help me and Sophie is the bully (to her siblings) and my cuddle bug. Sophie has discovered that it is very effective to pull someones hair when they make her mad. They "talk" all the time and we have found that Macy sounds Chinese!

Speaking of Chinese...Jack has been a blast to see with the Olympics. He is so into them...especially the swimming and Michael Phelps. He will get out of bed at 11pm to come watch him swim. He said that he wants to swim like Phelps. I think the hook for Jack was when I told him that Phelps is the fastest swimmer in the world. Jack is VERY into speed!

One final funny...lately Jack has been sleeping in boxer shorts because he wanted to be like his daddy. He came in the house the other day and announced to me that he wanted to start sleeping naked! Well okay...I figured as long as he is comfortable. He went to bed that night in jammies. At about 5 am he crawled into bed with us and the only thing I noticed was that he felt kind of cold. John called me later (because I had left for work early) and told me that when he woke up, Jack was snuggled up to him naked! John asked him why and Jack just sleepily smiled and stretched and said, "That's what I do now Dad." Every night since then I have put him to bed in boxers and when I go to check on him they are on the floor beside the bed and he's sound asleep. Go figure!

I'll get some pix of the girls walking and post soon!

I Know... I Know!

I have so much to catch everyone up on and I promise I will do so VERY soon with lots of pictures! Just a HUGE THANK -YOU to my awesome big sister and my in-laws who were all extremely helpful to me in the last couple of weeks! I'll catch you up soon!!

Have a GREAT night!!!

"POP"

Tonight I had Sophie, Macy, and Molls in the bath together. We have a bubble machine in the girls' tub that they know how to operate. Sophie turned on the bubbles and sat there for several minutes staring and giggling and reaching her pointer fingers out to get the bubbles. I said,"Sophie, are you getting the bubbles?" and she turned and looked right at me smiling and said "POP!" Other than mama and dada, that was her first real word used appropriately. Soooooo fun! They are getting bigger every day. We are heading to Charleston for the weekend for Abby's birthday party and John and Jack are headed to Myrtle Beach to have a boys weekend. I'll post pix from the trip on Monday.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!

Here They Go!!

Just a quick note to say that Sophie and Macy are officially walking now. It's not their preferred mode of transportation yet, but they both worked so hard today and took 5-10 steps several times today. They are both also good at standing without any support. Practice makes perfect. I don't have any pictures yet but I'll try to get some tomorrow.

Oh yeah...they are 16 months old today...the same age Molly was when she started walking.

Oh Yeah... I'm 33!

I had a birthday on Saturday...the big 33. I don't like it. It's to much of an odd number. John took me to a really nice dinner with some friends and then to see the new Bat Man movie. Another year gone :(


I had to post a few more pictures that I just thought were so cute. Enjoy!


Jack got a rope burn on his finger. John gave him cool water to dip it in when it started to hurt. Jack would not give up the water and actually got up from bed, got his own water, and fell asleep with his finger dipped in it. He is very resourceful!


"Four little monkies jumpin' on the bed!" Luckily no one fell off and bumped their heads!


Molly catching some z's on the boat. Sometimes looking at her is like looking in a mirror!

A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words

Well...I survived! The trip to Indiana took a whopping 11 1/2 hours each way but my kids were fantastic! We had a few moments but for the most part they were content and well behaved. We left for Indiana last Friday to visit all the family. On the way there Em noticed a blister on Macy's tongue. She woke up Saturday morning with a fever so I took her to the urgent care and discovered she had hand-foot-mouth disease. Nothing serious but painful for the little sweetie. She didn't eat much for 2 days and was pretty cranky and miserable. We had lots planned though this trip. I took so many pictures this trip that I thought I'd just tell you about the trip through the pictures. Enjoy!

On Saturday night we atended a surprise anniversary party for Uncle Bobby and Aunt Sue. It was planned by my cousin Missy and was really nice. She did a great job of getting everyone there and I posted this picture of her taking a REALLY big bite just because I said I would and I'm mean ;)


YUMMY!


Mom enjoying a much needed glass of wine!


Em posing pretty with her wine too!


OK if you don't think this kid is cute there is something seriously wrong! ;)


Molly and Abby taking up residence in the babies' high chairs


On Sunday we headed over to Papa Joe's house to visit. He looks really good. He gained back the weight he had lost the last time I saw him. He is the sweetest man. Every time I see him I just want to put him in my car and bring hime home with me :) He gives the best Grandpa kisses! We spent lots of time running around the farm, collecting "gold" and taking lots of pictures. That evening we headed over to Uncle Bobby's house for a cookout and more visiting!


Daddy checking out the blackberry bushes. They weren't ready yet this year much to the kid's dismay...especially Max!


My Grandpa and all 7 of his kids were born and raised in this house!


Jack and Max gold diggin'


The girls having lunch at Papa Joe's.


The driveway


Max on the tire swing we used to swing on as kids!


Jack documenting his gold find.


Mallory hanging from the tree that she "fell" out of a few years ago!


Max, Macy, and John on the proposal swing.


Nana, Em, and Sophie on the farm.


Abby and Molly playing "Ring Around the Hosey"


Papa Joe and Sophie who is fasinated with his beard.


"I love you Papa Joe!"


Jack on the tire swing


Abby on the tire swing (You won't see a pic of Molly on the swing...NO WAY)


Monday evening we headed to Celestine to have a family picnic with Granny, Aunt Nina, Uncle John, Julie, Jacob, Rick, Diana, Anakin, and Zander. Aunt Nina rented out a local park and we had lots of yummy food including FRIED BISCUITS. When I put apple butter on these things I swore it was a donut! We spent several hours there eating, visiting, and playing horseshoes and ladder ball.


Mom, Granny, and Aunt Nina trying to hide their "Kleeman chins!" ;)


She's so pretty...I love you Granny


I put this one in because she didn't want me to ;)


Mom and Granny

On Tuesday John and I were going to go to Holiday World for the day but Daddy had a little bit of a scare...thanks Dad...and we didn't make the roller coasters this year. That evening we went back to Papa Joe's for dinner and all of my Daddy's brothers and sisters except Aunt Carolyn were there. Having 6 of them home at one time doesn't happen often.

It was so great to see everyone this trip. It is always a special time to go back to Jasper and Ferdinand, IN. That trip was a huge part of my childhood and it's so cool that I get to share it with my kids. I can't wait to go back next summer!