Oh my goodness...

It's been a long time since I posted last! My how time flies when you are having fun!! A lot has transpired since I posted last. Let's see if I can capture it all.

I got to spend some time with my brother Chris before Thanksgiving! He was in town for a little over a week. He performed in church for one of my mother's friends, and then he and a friend performed a recital at KU. It was so nice and fun to hang out with him one on one! Thanks Chris!

We spent Thanksgiving in Branson with Ella's friend Isabella and her parents, and Tammy and her kids. Before we arrived, we made a pit stop at the famous Lambert's cafe! The food wasn't spectacular, but the 'throwed' rolls were a hit with the kids!! We enjoyed going to a fish hatchery, the Dixie Stampede for Thanksgiving lunch, and a glorious dinner of Taco Bell (LOL- the only thing that was open on Thanksgiving day!). We then visited Silver Dollar City where Ella experienced 2 of the adult roller coasters! She loved the 1st one with Daddy and kept begging me to go back and ride it with her. I instead took her on another one. She chose to sit in the very front seats- where only grown men were standing in line, and people commented 'look how brave that little girl is!'. She didn't make a peep on the ride, just had this frozen smile on her face ( and no not from the cold weather *wink*). Ella said as we climbed out of the roller coaster, 'Mom, I think I need to be 9 or 10 before I go on that again!"

The last day in Branson we spent at the Outlet Malls and then going to see 'Noah the Musical'. It was a long show, but quite amazing. The girls loved it! If you are ever in Branson, you should definitely go see it.

We then spent a week convincing Emery to have her 3rd b-day. She didn't want to have one, but we finally got her to change her mind. Emery had a great week and was excited to have gifts! She and Ella are now obsessed with 'Barbie and the Diamond Castle', and now that she got a matching Barbie to Ella's they are constantly singing those songs!! It's quite entertaining to say the least!

Since then we have been preparing for Christmas! We've had fires in the fireplace, and we have plenty of snow, I guess I need to get those gifts wrapped!! Hope all is well with you and your loved ones!! Here are a couple piccs of the kiddos ( we had issues getting them all to look!)! Enjoy!

Beautiful subjects!

I have come to terms with the fact that I will probably never become a professional photographer, nor will I ever take the perfect photo composition or technical wise. BUT, I will ALWAYS have the most beautiful subjects!

Happy Halloween!

We ventured to our favorite pumpkin patch today since it is beautiful outside! I don't think I can recall a Halloween in my entire life where the weather was 70 degrees out!! Unfortunately they were OUT of pumpkins, except for these large ones in front of an old truck! Nana and Papa T accompanied us, so we were able to get some photos of the 3 girls in their fall sweaters!! The girls got to play in the corn bin, launch gourds from slingshots, go through a maze, and play with the tricycles. And the highlight (and purpose) of the trip was to play with the incredibly kind cats, and any kittens available. They only had one kitten, about 6 weeks old that was so tiny! The girls had a great time playing with it, well at least until it scratched Emery on the face :)

Hope you all have a wonderful and safe Halloween, and that you see some great costumes!!

Shots, shots, and more shots.....

Between 2 of the girls, we've had 7 shots in the past 6 days. Ella got her kindergarten shots last Friday- 4 of them!!! YIKES! Plus she had her finger pricked for a blood test. She was incredibly brave up until the nurse came in. Then she got tears in her eyes. The finger prick was first, and probably hurt the worst. Then came 2 in each arm. She was crying 'NO' the whole time, but didn't struggle. I was surprised at how difficult that appointment was, I wasn't expecting it. It was gut and heart-wrenching to see your child scared and in pain.

Thankfully, an ice cream cone and an afternoon at Nana and Papa T's made it all better. She was calm, and proud of her shots by then. She feels like a big girl now!

Everett got her 2 month shots today, 3 of them and an oral medication!! And boy was she unhappy! I haven't heard her scream like that ever! She was already worn out from crying during the exam, that the minute I picked her up after her shots, she was immediately calm. We're home now, and she's had her Tylenol, but still pretty unhappy. I'm hoping she falls asleep soon, and the nap will help.

We still have 2 shots to go, flu shots for Ella and Emery. Hopefully that will do us for a while, well at least until December when Everett gets more!

Hope everyone is safe and happy! Talk to you soon!

"Look, there's Tinkerbell!!"

"Where, I don't see her", says Ella from the back of the car. "Right there!" ,pointed Emery excitedly out her window. "Where Emery?", asks Mom while driving through the McDonald's drive thru. "Right there!", she says impatiently pointing out her window. "Oh", said mommy, "that's not Tinkerbell, that's Taco Bell!"

Another proud mother moment I experienced yesterday that I thought you would all enjoy!

Bing, Bling........who's there?

My 10 year anniversary present!! Tad and I have never been big gift givers to one another, well at least not surprise gifts anyway. So imagine my shock ( and embarassment- I only gave him tickets to see Jerry Seinfeld Live and I couldn't even go with him!) when he surprised me with this at dinner!!

Before:

After:

Isn't he sweet?! I'm one lucky lady!!

Everett cocoon

Hi everyone!! I survived 3 days with Tad being out of town for work. Wow- I was beat by the time he got home. Being by myself with 3 girls wore me out! And I had a lot of help from Nana and Papa T! They were a huge help! They took the girls to school and watched them for a while during the week while I helped my photographer out with taking preschool pics! I didn't do much but try and hold a reflector (for lighting purposes), and try and get the kids to smile and look at the camera. It did make me realize how difficult being a professional photographer truly is. I don't think that career path is in my cards anytime soon, but maybe someday... I have a lot to learn yet.

It did inspire me to get the camera out again today, something I haven't done in a while. Mostly because I'm exhausted, or have a child needing something- shocking I know. I knitted a cocoon a few weeks ago- the hot new phase in the photography world. I tried making a matching hat- but I made it too small and haven't had the time to make a bigger one. I figured I better take pictures of her soon, before she outgrew the cocoon-which she is close. I feel much better about taking photos after today. I think I've inspired myself again. mostly because I took about 50 and I got these 2, I forgot to change one setting, and it ruined most of the pictures for today. It made me determined not to let it happen again, so be looking for more pictures soon!

I hope everyone had a safe and happy weekend!!

10 years ago today.....

It's hard to believe that 10 years have already flown by. I made the biggest decision of my life 10 years ago today, and married my best friend Tad. It was the smartest thing I've ever done and the greatest thing.

Our 10 years hasn't been all peachy, especially when numerous family members were going through cancer, but we've made it and have come out stronger. We started out as 2, and are now a family of 5 with 2 chocolate labs. Amazing how a family can develop in just 10 years. I don't know what the next 10 years will bring, but I look forward to them. I look forward to the experiences we will have with the family we have created. I look forward to another 10 years with my best friend.

Hope you all have a great and blessed weekend!

Outnumbered

Gee, it's been a long time since I posted last! I thought things were going pretty well, but I think the lack of sleep caught up with me! Everett isn't sleeping quite as well as she was the first couple of weeks, hopefully that changes soon! I think the hardest part is adjusting to being outnumbered!! I didn't realize how easy we had it with 2!

Otherwise things are going fairly well. Everett is eating (a lot) and growing bigger. She's starting to fill out a bit. I fondly call her the 'toot monster', she toots all the time!! Some would even make Uncle Kent proud! She's even woken up Tad at night with them!! Emery loves going to school on her 1 day a week, and enjoys spending her other days with mom and Evie. We go to the mall to walk, or shopping, or to Costco/Sam's. She even got to eat pizza at 10 in the morning one day! Mom caved easily at Costco when she asked for a snack! Emery's newest tag line is 'whatever'. It's hilarious to hear her say it. She says it in context and with the funniest attitude! Ella is LOVING pre-k!! We can't call it preschool, she's very specific that it's pre-k! She loves to spell words and practice her upper and lower case letters! She's growing up so fast!!

As many of you know Tad's sister is going through a divorce. It's been a trying time for her, and we are doing our best to support her as much as we can. I ask that you give her your thoughts and prayers as she goes through this difficult time. This is causing a huge strain in the 'R' family, and relationships are very fragile. We can only hope that when it's all over that those relationships can be repaired.

The past couple of days have not been that great in our household. I've had the flu, and I think Evie wasn't feeling that well either. She didn't sleep more than 20 min at a time yesterday and was extremely cranky. I struggled throughout the past couple days with aches and pains, along with a fever, and cold/hot sweats. Nana and Papa were to the rescue yesterday by watching the older to E's for us. Today is going much better for me at least. The jury is still out on Evie!

I don't have any new pictures of my own to post, I haven't downloaded any from my camera from all the family visits yet :( However, my photographer has posted our newborn session on her website. To view the pictures go to:

http://cynthiagullett.com/

click on client, and then the password is 'baby'.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!! I think she did a great job!! She was extremely patient, as Evie was not having a great day!

I hope all is well with you and your families!! I hope to post more soon!

Growth spurt?

Hi everyone! Everett is still doing well, however I think she's going through a growth spurt. It started on Thursday (I think, my days are kinda messed up!), she eats every 1 1/2 - 2 hours. She doesn't sleep long, maybe 20-30 minute time spans. I don't remember these with the bigger girls, but maybe this is what your mind blocks! I hope it ends soon, I can't get anything else done but feed her, change her, and try to keep her happy!! Thankfully she is still giving us at least 1 long sleep at night, generally between 4-5.5 hours. I usually have to wake her up because I need her to eat! It takes a while to get her back to sleep, but she tends to give us another 2-3 hour nap. Now if I could just get her on a schedule, I could start taking the bigger girls to preschool instead of relying on Nana and Papa T!!

Our photographer was here on Friday, one of Everett's heavy eating days. Cindy had to stay for 4.5 hours to try and capture everything. I think Everett ate at least 3 times, maybe 4. We took a short break for lunch, but we got it done. She sent me some samples on Friday, and they are breathtaking! As soon as she has them available in her gallery, I'll post the link here for you to view!

Otherwise, things are going pretty well. Tad took the bigger girls to the KSU game yesterday. They visited Great Nana F, and were ready to go to Willie's house! They got their snacks, restroom breaks, and Emery was ready to go before 1st quarter ended! She quickly settled in for a nap, and they made it through 3rd quarter. Nana and Papa T came over and watched the game with Everett and I. Today we made it to the park, and out to the girls favorite restaurant for an early dinner. I got to practice nursing in public, which is new to me! I did fairly well for the first time, not sure if anyone got flashed or not! Oh well! It was too beautiful of a day to spend it inside! the whole week is supposed to be beautiful, so I hope we can get out a bit!

Have a safe and happy week! I'll try and post some more pics of the girls later this week!

I'm in LOVE!!! *sigh*

Wow, it's already been a week! I'm completely and totally in love! *sigh* Everett eats well, sleeps well- almost 5 hours at night, then another 3 hours after eating. She hardly cries, and when she does is quickly calmed down. It's pretty amazing! Sometimes I think we have a doll, not a baby!! I guess 3rd time was the charm! I finally have a baby that eats well- that is a huge relief, but to sleep well and hardly cry? We are extremely blessed! Check out the pics of my sweetness below! Not sure why the black and white photos are showing up funny- I'll keep working on those!!

On another note, today marks the first day of preschool (pre-k) for Ella and children's day out for Emery. Nana T took them for us today. Ella skipped off to class, while Emery needed some persuading. Here's a pic before they left this morning!!

Baby Ru has ARRIVED!!!!

Wow-Baby Ru is here!! After a long awaited arrival, Baby Ru decided not to be evicted but to make an entrance on the due date!! I went to bed on Tuesday night with sporadic contractions- nothing new. At 2:30 am I woke up and the contractions were about 10 min apart. I woke Tad between 3 and 3:30, and they were still about 10 min apart. We weren't too worried yet as the same thing happened the week before. Around 4 am I headed downstairs to change position. The contractions then went to 6 min apart, then 3. We called Nana and Papa T to come over around 4:30, and the doctor. We left the house at 5:10 and arrived at the hospital at 5:30.

From that time on, it got a little crazy. The contractions were hard, fast, and furious. I got an IV at 5:40, and they started to try an epidural at 6:00. However, it wasn't taking effect as I was in serious pain with each contraction. They re-dosed, and then tried another medication. Nothing was helping because I was progressing to fast. I had one contraction last 3 minutes. The nurse and dr were talking about how the contractions were on top of one another and I wasn't getting a break. The dr decided to check, and with one look she told me it was time to push!!

It was 6:30 a.m. and I wasn't ready, I was too scared because my epidural still wasn't working!! I quickly gave in, and Baby Ru arrived at 6:36! As Tad said, 'It's another girl!' We were thrilled!! the dr thought she looked smaller compared to the older girls, but she weighed in at a whopping 8lbs 9.5oz!! Not too dainty!! She measured 20.5" long.

We named her Everett Brooke! Everett to keep up with our 'E' theme, and because we loved the name. Brooke after her daddy's middle name. She is quite beautiful if I say so myself!! Beautiful round head (due to quick labor!), fair skin, and a small amount of medium brown hair!! Her daddy and I are quite proud of what beautiful girls we produce!! Take a look for yourself!!

Ella and Emery were too happy to meet and greet their new sister! They were very giggly, and eager to hold her. They keep touching her as if she isn't quite real yet!!

We'll post more later! We're still at the hospital, but go home tomorrow, so we should have more pictures soon!

D-day minus 2

Well, this baby is NOT wanting to leave it's warm safe environment! I had an OB appt this morning, and no change from last week. Still dilated at a 4, still have only gained 9 lbs :( We are officially giving Baby Ru an eviction notice on Thursday at 7am if he/she hasn't made their arrival before then.

The girls are getting excited, and Tad and I are trying to finish last minute projects, organize, and trying to prepare as much as we can!!

We'll try and keep you all posted. You may get an e-mail before a phone call, or the phone call may be from someone relaying the message! Bear with us!! We'll try and get you all updated as quickly as we can!!

Hope everyone is well, safe and happy! We look forward to talking to you soon!!

10 days till D Day!!

Wow- hard to believe how fast this has gone!! 10 days until due date, and I'm ready!! Uncomfortable doesn't begin to describe how I feel!!

Anyway, I went out with my new photographer friend Cindy last Wednesday for some more fun shots, and to practice my skills. Cindy was practicing head shots for her new website- and I was the willing guinea pig!!

Here are a couple from that day!! I was 38 weeks exactly!! Gotta love the signs on the wall in the middle one!

Almost 38 weeks!

Well, I failed miserably at taking pictures this past week or so. I honestly haven't felt that great to do so, these last weeks are so much fun- NOT!!

Anyway, I had a checkup this morning. I'm dialated between a 2-3. I used to think this meant that birth was close, but it doesn't! I got the same news with Emery at 38 weeks, and she waited till her due date!! The other news was that I'm measuring smaller than normal for this stage. The dr isn't worried, it was just a general statement. Probably due to my issue with gaining weight. So, she doesn't believe this is another 9 pounder on it's way, she thinks it'll be smaller. Whew!

I've been having a lot of contractions, but nothing regular. Emery did this to me too! So, while I get excited at the thought of contractions and being dialated, it doesn't really mean anything! I know it's better for the baby to stay in as long as possible, and it's easier on me. It's just so darn uncomfortable!!

Now is the time to place your wager!! Gender, weight, height, day and time!! Let's see who can get the closest!! E-mail me with your guess, or post it on here. Tad's oldest nephew won it with Emery. In fact, he's been close both times, and has always gotten the gender correct!

Hope everyone is safe and happy!! Talk to you soon!

Toot and tinkle

One more funny before I forget!!

The other day, Emery yelled 'Mommy, I need to go potty'. So, we are running to the bathroom. I ask her, 'Do you need to tinkle, or poop too?'

She said 'I need to toot and tinkle'. Thinking I misunderstood her I said 'you need to poop and tinkle?'

She said 'NO, I need to toot and tinkle'. And boy did she do just that!! I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

And now when she says it, I have to refrain from laughing!!

Trespassing

I had one last idea in mind for a maternity photo, in front of a waterfall. Unfortunately it was under video surveillance, and we were warned for trespassing, but we did it anyway!

Tad did a pretty good job!! Check out that humongo belly!! This was taken at 36 weeks. I'll be 37 weeks on Tuesday the 5th.

Hey Lady

Ok- so I had to share this funny with you.

We went to the pool today, later in the afternoon since it was about 100 degrees outside.

As we were walking back to our chair, a little girl said to me.

"Hey lady, what's wrong with your belly?" I started laughing and said "I have a baby in it". She said "Oh, that's why it looks so funny". Her parents heard her, and were so embarassed.

It's so fun being pregnant, well sometimes not so much!

Maternity Photo's

Hi all!!

Here is the link to my maternity photo session.

http://cynthiagullett.typepad.com/photos/babye/

username: ruliffson
password: baby

Let me know what you think! This was the photographer's first time taking maternity photos, and of course I went unconventional and had them done outside!!

Enjoy!!

Baby Update

Sorry, no new pics to post just yet!!

Had another OB appt yesterday. Baby is doing fine, and I gained weight! Yippee!! Only time in my life where I'm relieved to have gained weight! The heartbeat was 144 yesterday, so it is totally trying to confuse us on the gender. Hard to believe less than 30 days left!

Kitchen cabinets are almost done (whew, that was a BIG PROJECT!). I'm a dork and didn't buy enough knobs, we're 2 short, and they are out of stock at Home Depot (go figure). We got some other small projects done this past weekend. The next big project is a swingset for the girls, we hope to get that soon and have Tad put it together this weekend. However, he just ordered a new computer for his b-day, so we'll see which gets put together first (wink, wink!). The new computer will be nice, we can finally edit our videos and post them here! We got some awesome ones of Emery performing her 'Ballerina' song and dance, and Ella making up some Kitty song!

I also should be getting a link to a gallery of my maternity photos! We took those last week, and from the samples I've seen, I'm very happy!

We took Nana and Papa T to Starlight Theatre last night to see our neighbor boy in Music Man. While our neighbor was on stage a total of maybe 5 minutes, the show was quite entertaining! The girls and Papa stayed awake for the entire thing!

Ella has been learning Knock Knock jokes, courtesy of Dora the Explorer. However, her execution isn't quite there yet. For example, Tad was in the restroom. Ella knocked, he said 'who's there', and she said 'orange'. He replied 'orange who?' She said 'orange, why don't you open the door?' Maybe not as funny to you as it was to us, but at least she tried!!

That's all I know for tonight. Hope everyone is getting cooler weather like we are now. It's quite a nice change!! I hope to have pics or more updates later this weekend! Have a safe and happy week!

Quite a weekend!

Well, I'm behind again! Bear with me! These next photos were taken last weekend after Ella finished British Soccer Camp. I told her if she played well we would go get pedicures. And she did! The girls and I got cleaned up, and they looked so adorable, I had to snap some photos. Too bad I forgot to take it with us to the Nail Salon! All 3 of us got pedicures (Emery's first time!) and they looked adorable! Then they left me at home alone for the weekend to visit Nana and Papa R.

Then we had this weekend! It started off with Tad's black belt show on Friday night. He got to wear his red gee! I tried to take photos, but there just wasn't enough light. Needless to say, he did awesome! We spent several hours at the pool Saturday trying to cool off, and Ella improving her 'mermaid' skills! Then Tad and I got a long awaited date. We got to eat at one of our favorite Italian restaurants, and do some shopping without little ones!

Finally we ventured downtown to take some pictures in a fountain. It was HOT out, and that water was COLD!! It felt good! Emery had such a fun time she didn't want to leave! So, with a promise of returning another weekend (and Wendy's for lunch) we were able to sneak out. However, we just ended up at our neighborhood pool to cool off some more. The heat index was 103 degrees outside. We got several good pics, here are a few! Hope your weekend was as fun as ours!!

6 weeks or less!!

I had a relaxing weekend last week. Tad took the girls to visit his folks, and I got to stay home and scrapbook all weekend! It was glorious! Not to mention the girls had a great time. Tad's sister and kids were there too, so Nana and Papa got the joy of all grandkids for the weekend!

This week has been pretty laid back. Which is very good, because I'm getting uncomfortable!! The pool feels good, it's cool and I can be weightless!!

Speaking of weight, I went to the OB yesterday, and I gained 1 pound!!! Yea!!! Everything measured fine, and she just wants me to continue gaining weight. The only odd thing was that they baby's heartbeat has been in the 155-160 range consistently. However, yesterday it was 135-140. It's all within normal range, so no alerts, but if you believe in old wivestales.... The thought is the higher heartbeat (160 ish) is associated with girls, and with my two, that was true. The lower the heartbeat (140 ish) is associated with boys. My OB teased and said, 'oh no, your baby changed gender's from last visit to this one. Good thing you don't know what you are having!'. We both laughed. I then called Lee later to see if the bedding she has made is gender neutral!! Wouldn't that be a crack if they got it wrong? Good thing Lee is the only one who knows what they said it was at 20 weeks!

Look for more pictures next week. Tad has a black belt show tonight (first in his 2nd degree black belt gee- it's red!), and we're going downtown to take some pics in a fountain this weekend. Kind of maternity, and of the kids in their suits. Then we have our maternity photo session with a photographer on Tuesday. Let's hope they all turn out! Have a great weekend!

This past week- long with lots of photos!

Wow- has it been busy lately! Here I thought the summer would be a great time to relax, and do projects with the kids and go swimming all the time...ha! I wish!! Let me catch you up on our last week.

I had an OB appt last Wednesday morning. While I measured ok, and the baby's heartbeat was fine, the dr is concerned with my lack of weight gain. Basically, I weigh the same now, as I did on my first appt with her back in Jan. She said the baby is fine, she's worried about me and mostly my ability to recover from childbirth if ALL of the nutrients are going to the baby. So, she asked me to start drinking protein shakes and eat as much as possible to gain weight before my next visit on the 17th. So, I have started drinking Boost shakes mixed with ice cream- very yummy!! However, as of this morning I still haven't gained anything :( Tad was kind enough to take some quick pics of me before the kids and I went to the pool that afternoon to show how big my belly is getting. (from most comments I'm small for being this far along- and I haven't been made fun of at the pool!). So- beware, blindness may occur by looking at the below photos!! And yes- a bikini is my pool attire because I'm so darned hot!! And if you look at the rolls on my sides in the second pic- I'm not so worried about my weight gain!! Pics are at 32 weeks along!






































































The Zienkewicz's were in town last week before heading to Wichita. We took them to a fun restaurant called T-Rex. For those of you who haven't been there it's basically Rainforest Cafe on drugs- but with dinosaurs instead. We got lucky and were sat in the round jellyfish booth. I think Lilly really liked it! Claire slept through most of the meal, not sure how with all those girls squealing around her and checking her out- but she did!! We even celebrated Lilly's 2nd b-day with some cake and ice cream. Her face was priceless as the waitstaff brought out her dessert and sang to her!

The girls even entertained themselves by playing 'Ring Around the Rosie' near our table. Lilly wasn't so sure about falling down, so Emery tried to show her ( once a bit too much!)! Ella played her favorite role of 'big sister' and would show Lilly around the restaurant while we talked with Lori and Rob. While our visit was short, it was good to see them!! We miss them a lot, and Ella and Emery really enjoyed Lilly and Claire! Here are some pics of the event!


























































Thursday night we went to Theatre in the Park and watched Beauty and the Beast with Ella's preschool friend Isabella. The kids not only enjoyed the show, but all of the fireflies! I didn't take any pictures of the event since it was at night, but it was probably one of the best shows I've ever seen there! Especially when you could hear people singing along!!

Friday was another eventful day. We joined Nana and Papa T at the Lenexa parade, where the girls wore their 4th of July dresses that Nana made them. We taught them how to wave and get attention to get candy. Thankfully the adults on either side of them helped out significantly, and the girls raked in the candy. They had more fun getting the candy then eating it! Ella said at one point 'this is better than Halloween!'. Emery talked one gentleman's ear off, he said later that she was the funniest little thing, and totally enjoyed both of them. Always nice to hear good things about your kiddos!! Sorry for the bright photos! I'm still working on taking all pics on a manual setting- and it's hard!!





































































We went to the pool that afternoon, took naps (hallelujah!- my favorite activity especially now!), then grilled out dinner with Nana and Papa T. I think we shocked them with our cooking capabilites (and the fact I didn't use any recipies!) and had a good fulfilling meal. We ended the evening with our 4 (or maybe longer I can't remember!) year tradition of going to a golf course nearby and sitting on the driving range and watching the Shawnee Mission Park fireworks. The kids love to run on the driving range, find golf balls, play soccer, and just be silly. I finally got smart and put glow sticks on them this year- they were much easier to find!

As you saw from an earlier post, I was pretty sick on Saturday- so we didn't do much that day. Sunday was spent working around the house, and a visit to the pool.

Monday we started Ella's British soccer camp. It's from 10-12 am, and boy is it hot out! I thought Ella might melt on Monday. Thankfully Emery and I get to hang out in the shade- but it's still pretty hot! Ella's in the 5-6 year old group, and is she getting a workout! When she scrimmages she's on a team with 3 other boys- 2 of which turn 7 next month! She is learning to fight her way around and put up with the bigger and better players! She still has a smile on at the end of the practice- so I know she's enjoying every minute! She also started tumbling class today- how she had the energy I'm not sure, but she was giggling with glee the whole time!

The other interesting thing this week is the girls heads! Ella told me last night after her bath that she had a bug bite on her head. Tad looked and said it looked like a mosquito bite. Then this morning while brushing Emery's hair, it looked like she had a huge glop of syrup in it! After brushing and spraying it with water, it turned out to be a pretty big sore. Although, I'm not sure from what, if it's a bug bite or not. It bothered me throughout the day because it didn't look like Ella's and kept getting pretty goopy and was red like it had been bleeding. Tad checked it out when he got home and agreed we should go to Urgent Care (couldn't get into the dr this week during the afternoon). The dr at Urgent Care thought it looked like a bug bite that had been infected, and prescribed an antibiotic and an ointment. The picture doesn't do it justice. This was taken after bath tonight, so it looks much better! Now she has to stay out of the sun while on the antibiotic- UGH!! Thankfully Nana T can help us out the rest of the week while I take Ella to soccer camp. Keeping them (or mostly me!) away from the pool will be the hard part! I really enjoy the cool water and being weightless for a while!

Whew- I think that is it for now!! I'd like to think that things will become less hectic by next week, but I doubt it!! Stay tuned for more adventures!