Nine!

Minnie turned 9 yesterday. We celebrated by getting her ears pierced (a few days ago), having Bella sleep over, eating french toast with whipped cream and strawberries, and a dance off with Dad. We love you Min.

Girls vs. Boys

We've had a very busy summer. The cousin swap was a huge success. I had Bethie and Elf for over a week and Mitch was mine for over 2 weeks. Here is a brief overview...

The GIRLS:

The Beach: We attempted to out dig our beach "neighbors" after they talked a little smack. Their hole was only slightly more impressive than ours.

Facials: Their pores have never looked better.

Pedicures: A little red and blue sparkle for the 4th.

Hair: Have I mentioned how much I love doing little girls' hair?

Dress up: Wow! These girls have style.

Fireworks: Good times with great friends.

Sewing: matching skirts for the dolls.

The BOYS:

Sports Camp: A sweaty hot week.

Trampoline: They practiced new stunts.

Wii: Indiana Jones, Rock Band, ...

Swim: They have the tan lines to prove it.

Beach: Boogie Boarding.

Scout Camp: Fishing, archery, every boy's dream.

No hair styling: Gotta love a buzz.

And of course more Wii: Mitch was in heaven. I wonder what Santa will bring him this year?

Our little man Jack and Baby:

Jack attempted to keep up with whoever and with whatever the whoever was doing. He picked up some new phrases along the way.

Thomas ate sand. Lots of sand.

Throw in a few more cousins, an Aunt and a Nana and that concludes the Great Cousin Swap of '09.

The Iron Man:

Justin competed in another IronMan. He knocked 50 minutes off last year's time. He's the man.

Lucky 7

Today is our Sunny's 7th Birthday. I feel pretty lucky to have such a spunky little lady living at our house.

I think her self portraits sum her up nicely...what a ham!

Little Women

I have 4 little girls in my home this week. My sister and I are swapping kids multiple times this summer. We're calling it the Great Cousin Swap of '09. While Adam is enjoying guy time with Mitch, I have Elli and Bethie. Today, after baking and reading a little "Little Women", we had a tea party. I am enjoying having 4 heads of hair to play with. I can't wait for all the fun we are going to have this week. The girls are calling...I need to go watch yet, another play in the backyard.

The Big 3.5

We celebrated Jack's half birthday this week. We decided to have a "half" party because he is a December baby and his big day gets lost in the shuffle of the Christmas season. He had his friends Luke and Sam (aka "the pardners") over for a Pirate/Diego/Dinosaur pancake breakfast and party. I'm sure the neighbors enjoyed the shouts of joy. Good times.

Poor Kid

This is what happens when you have two older sisters. Make-up application was discussed, but fortunately the idea was quickly abandoned. The girls have been out of school for 3 days. I can't wait to see what happens over the next two months. The last picture says it all. Poor Thomas.

To Do

I am behind. Blogging has been something on my "To Do" list for a month now and I have missed out on sharing so many things. So, today it is time to recommit. Keep up to date. We'll see how long I can keep up.

A few things we have been up too...

School Dances - Adam, Minnie, Sunny and adopted sister Hannah

Crawling - Thomas

Reading Olympics - Minnie

Many lost teeth - Adam

Many new teeth - Thomas, Adam and Sunny

Swimming lessons - Minnie, Sunny and Jack

"Goin' Buggy" - Minnie the Ladybug

Patriotic Performance - Sunny

A trip to AZ for Nana's 60th Birthday - Just me and Thomas

Races (most fun being the Mud Run) - Justin...just look for the big hair...he's hot!

Trip to Urgent Care for a "Facial Laceration" (nothing a little Super Glue can't hold together) - Thomas...thanks to Jack

Well, that is the quick version of our last month. I wish I had more pictures, but hopefully this month will be better...the kids will be out of school...oh, who am I kidding!?