Pierce and tennis

At his last tennis lesson today:

Pierce: Daddy, why do they keep saying forehands? I only have two hands.

That's probably been bugging him for the last 10 weeks.

Lake Anna

We had an end of summer getaway last weekend at Lake Anna. We went with JD's family and rented a nice house right on the lake. It was a great location, and there was just enough beach for the little ones to play on and plenty of shallow water to play in. We didn't do much of anything except play and relax, and it's always nice to have extra hands to help with food prep and with the kids.

Relaxing with Sarah:

Enjoying the challenge of the floating dock:

Relaxing on the stationary dock:

Philip (and Brian's feet) trying to beat up a girl:

Madelyn making her move to jet ski with Daddy:

Taking a break for lunch--Isabel showing off her carnivorous skills:

Swim time with Daddy:

Leads to snuggle time with Mommy:

Thanks for the memories, family!

Rainy Day Secrets

11 months old

She's so fast when she's crawling. She enjoys bear crawling quite often, especially on rough surfaces or to avoid crawling on her dress. She has 5 teeth, but a 6th is ready to pop through at any moment. She's working on standing up and can make it up on her own quite often. She can stand for several seconds without holding on to anything, and there have been many times when she's been standing and lifted a foot like she was going to take a step but then had second thoughts and dropped to a crawl. She's a happy little girl. For a while I was concerned that she was going to be my clingy baby, but I think she's over that. She's still cuddly but doesn't cry when we drop her off at the nursery anymore, and she's just a smiley baby to anyone who will smile at her. She "talks" a lot and has a lot to say. I just wish I knew what she was saying. In a month, we'll have a party. Happy 11 months Isabel!

Bear crawling:


Trying to stand up:


Tasting paper:

Time

My first baby is starting kindergarten in less than 3 weeks. She so excited, and to be honest, I'm excited for her. But, to be honest, my heart hurts just a little bit. Her supplies have been purchased, and we got her class list with the name of her teacher on Friday. The countdown is officially on.

My second baby starts preschool in a month. He's excited but wants to have Mrs. Joann and Mrs. Helga as his teachers again. I'm trying to prepare him that this will probably not happen. We got some of his school information in the mail on Friday.

My third baby turns one next month. I almost feel guilty because her first year has been a blur. She has conversations in her own language and stands unassisted for several seconds at a time. Sometimes she makes it to a standing position without pulling up on anything. She'll be walking soon, probably sooner than I'm ready. I've been sorting through the clothes that she can't wear anymore. These are clothes that both she and Madelyn wore. I remembered specific days when Madelyn wore certain outfits.

I haven't cried today, but I've been thinking that time is moving too quickly.

5 teeth

I know it's blurry, but can you see them?

Just another lazy Saturday

With some window washing:

Hole digging:

Tree climbing:

and bike riding:

oops:

and here we go again:

Me and my baby

Back in the saddle

I'm back from Orlando, and it was a relatively smooth re-entry. I had a very nice time at the MOPS convention and got some much needed time away. John David did a great job with the kids and told me that I should take it as a compliment that he escaped to his parents' for reinforcement before I left for the airport. Isabel missed me; she wouldn't let me put her down for about 30 minutes. Pierce missed me; he jumped into my lap as soon as he saw me. Madelyn, in her typical fashion, came up to me slowly, put her arm around me, and jumped back really fast. I think she missed me a little bit.

The kids had a great time at Granddaddy's and Nana's.

They hung out in a dump truck:

Threw rocks in the pond with cousin Taylor:

And, drum roll please...Madelyn has (mostly) mastered the bike with NO training wheels:

Getting the hang of it:

Annnnnndddddd, she's off:

Life is a little crazy

Between John David traveling for work, our family vacation, family get-togethers, more work travel, and my traveling to the MOPS convention in two days, I'm feeling a little dizzy. I'm so excited about Thursday! My trip will provide a much needed (short) break from the kids, and I get to hang out at a beautiful hotel with a gorgeous pool, good and gorgeous friends, and the really cool thing is that I won't have to change a diaper, wipe anyone else's bottom, or cut anyone's food for three whole days. I'll also get to learn some new things and listen to great speakers. And, our crew has gotten permission to play hookey from a workshop or two so that we can just relax. The countdown has begun!