And Let There be Cake...

Since Andrew and Austin had VBS tonight, I thought it would be ideal to drop them off at church and just have a mini celebration with Alexis and Aaron only. I picked her up a little cake and headed back home to sing happy birthday to her. I was expecting more enthusiasm from her when it came time for her to eat the cake, however, she wasn't too keen on it at all! When I put it in front of her, she did grab it and got some frosting on her fingers. I thought she would immediately put her fingers in her mouth to eat it, but instead spent the next 10 minutes trying to get it off her hands and whining. Silly girl!

Annoyed with the frosting...

She really wanted it off her hands...

But Aaron was more than willing to sneak his finger in and help himself...

Her hands in the last picture depict the messiest she got with her cake. Hopefully she won't be as shy with the one at her birthday party in a few weeks. It was a nice little way to celebrate her on her special day without the chaos of everyone else :)

Oh what Fun... Alexis 1!!!

One year ago today, my life was blessed again with the birth of my precious baby girl. For those that know the story of her birth, can imagine how lucky I feel to be here with her today celebrating this big milestone. Her whole conception, pregnancy and birth still seem surreal to me. And it's amazing how fast her first year has seemed to fly by and how much she has grown & learned! At her 1st year check-up she was still weighing in pretty small - only 18lbs and 28 3/4 in. long. But that's a long way from 4lb, 10oz! It seems like it has also taken her forever to finally roll over, crawl and stand-up, but she's moving right along now and I am sure will be walking soon. She spends her days crawling all over the living room and playing with her toys. She loves talking and has mastered mama, dada, ba-ba, nana and no. She also loves to laugh with her brothers, and they know just what to do to get a great giggle out of her When she gets really excited, she claps her hands and squeals like crazy! She is definitely a very happy, go-lucky kind of baby, which is a blessing since she is the last of four. I'm also over joyed that she was a girl because I love picking out which adorable outfit will suffice for the day. I just can't wait for her to get some hair so I can start putting it in pigtails. I finally did break down and take her to get ears pierced. She did so well with them and looks even cuter, if that's possible. Sadly, I did it after I got her 1st pics taken, but she still looks as cute as ever!

All smiles...

Little Sailor Girl...

Such a sweet little grin...

Although she wasn't planned, I couldn't imagine the last year without her... nor would I ever want to. After having her 3 older brothers, she was truly another dream come true! Happy 1st Birthday, Alexis!!!

Greater Galesburg Day...

Every summer, on the third Saturday in June, our town has a little day of celebration. A day where young & old, past & present, people of Galesburg gather together for a day of fun. The festivities of the day start off with the annual parade through town. Andrew was my only participant this year since Austin didn't play tball this summer. Of course, half the fun with parades is the throwing and catching of candy. I loaded Andrew with 4 good size bags of various candy, and I swear, Austin and Aaron collected about that much to bring back home! We found a great spot in the shade closer to where the parade started and sat back to watch all the participants go by. I was shocked that Alexis slept through the entire thing, especially when the tire trucks and police cars came by with their sirens blaring. I guess that just goes to show how heavy of a sleeper she is!

Andrew with his team waiting for the parade to start...

Throwing the candy in the parade...

After the parade, the kids and I, along with my parents, made our way towards the middle of town to see what other festivities were going on. Of course there were all kinds of places with food because of all the extra visitors, so we stopped and had a little lunch before the kids could fill up soley on candy. Once we were done eating, we ventured to the park where games, a dunk tank, blow-up slides, and even a little petting zoo awaited. Andrew was the only one interested in playing the little carnival games, so Austin and Aaron took full advantage of the two blow-up slides. Next it was on to the little petting zoo sponsored by our local 4-H. All the kids loved petting the little lambs, goats, chicks. Also there was a reptile petting zoo complete with snakes, turtles and a baby alligator. Austin took interest quickly and wanted to touch (and hold) everything! Andrew and Aaron preferred to stand back and just watch from the sidelines - like their mom!

Austin holding a snake...

And then petting the baby alligator...

After santizing Austin's hands A LOT, we made our way into the fire station to get in line for a ride on the fire truck. Since there is was a long line, the kids were able to have some cake and ice cream to make the wait time seem less miserable. Aaron had been waiting all day for his ride on the fire truck, and was so giddy when it finally pulled up to pick us up. My mom volunteered to stay back and watch Alexis, the the boys and I climbed up the steps to the top of the truck and away we went. Although it was just a short ride through town, the kids found it so thrilling and giggled the whole time.

Andrew and Austin enjoying the ride...

Once the ride was over, the kids started to melt down and I knew it was time to head home. It was a great day out and a great way to spend time in our little town. It's funny how I can remember doing this as a child with my parents and siblings, and now I am able to do it with my own kids. To me, it's one of those perks of coming from and going back to living in a small town :)

Soaking up the Sun...

After leaving Austin's class picnic at the park, my best friend and her two little ones came over for some water fun in our backyard. We got out the pool with the water slide and let the kids spend the rest of the day splashing around. Tammy and I were even able to catch a few rays while sitting outside and watching the kids enjoy the water toys. It was a wonderful way to spend a warm afternoon.

Austin and his best buddy Cody racing down the slide...

Austin making a splash...

Aaron coming down against his wishes...

Aaron and his best buddy, Nolan...

Slip'n Slide...

Alexis enjoying the fresh air too...

Silly kids...

Kindergarten, Here He Comes...

Austin is officially a preschool graduate! Yesterday afternoon, I headed over to the Galesburg park for his class picnic and celebration of his achievement. I will be honest, going into this year I was very nervous for him. He's definitely a strong-willed child and I feared him butting heads with his teachers. Although we had many rough days getting to school, his teachers said he was always happy after 15 minutes and played well. The first half of the year I was sure they had him mixed up with another kid when they told me at his first conference that most the time they wanted to light a fire under his butt to get him moving. I was shocked because he's the kid I have the urge to tape to the wall most days. From the moment he wakes up until the second he leaves for school, he's running, jumping and play fighting. Then the second he hops off the bus at 3:30pm, he's doing it all over again, until he falls asleep around 8pm... literally! I guess being wild all morning at home wore him out, so school time was his "rest period" that re-energized him... lucky me, huh!? The last few months, however, he must've finally started to warm up and show his true side because at his second conference, his teachers told me he was a little ball of energy and had quite the imagination. They also joked that he needs to be in the special effects industry when he gets older because of all the different sounds he can make. Just what every mom wants to hear! All in all, I am very impressed with how far he has come this year and look forward to watching him learn more as the years go on. Congrats, Austin! 

Austin with his teachers, Mrs Meyers and Mrs. Whitman...

Austin's class standing in line getting ready to sing for the adults...

(that's his best buddy Cody that he is posing with)

Singing...

Graduating...

Traverse City...

Over Memorial weekend, I got the chance to head up to Traverse City with my sister and her running friends to watch them compete in the Bayshore Marathon. I had been debating going for a while, and just when I thought there was no hope, an "eye emergency" forced me to take the 3 hour hike up north by myself 10:30pm to meet everyone else who had gone up earlier in the day. When I finally rolled into town at 1:45am, I was ready to find the hotel and hit the sack! I was extremely exhausted when 4:30am rolled around and the alarm went off, but I jumped out of bed like everyone else and got ready to go cheer my sister and friends on.

Megan and I before the race...

Kendra and I waiting for everyone to run through the finish line...

My sister rocked it out and finished with a time of 3:15:11, which put her 1st in her age division and #101 overall. I was so proud of her!

Once the race was finished and everyone cleaned up, we spent the rest of the afternoon doing a pub crawl.

Megan and I enjoying the sunshine...

How these people were able to walk so much after running 26.2 miles is far and beyond me! However, Megan did get slightly tired at one point and needed a little lift...

Before dinner, we decided to change clothes and freshen up a bit. Of course, no wardrobe change can go out without some cute pics being taken.

Megan, me and Kendra ready to hit the town again...

Greatest girls in the world...

And one lucky guy to be surrounded by such beautiful ladies...

Finally we were ready to go out again and meet up with our other friends already getting settled in at yet another bar. We pretty much spent the entire evening hanging out at various bars downtown and making great memories!

Best friends...

Such love...

After a long day, and even longer night, we made our way back to the hotel and finally went to sleep. The next morning we all woke up and headed to breakfast. After eating, a few of us headed to the beach to play in the sun for a few hours. We attempted to go in the water, but that didn't last long... it was FREEZING! However, it was perfect laying on the hot sand.

Megan and myself cathing a few rays...

After the beach, we hopped in my car to go to the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. Back when we were younger and my grandma lived up there, we spent many summer days with our family exploring the area. After her passing, the house was kept in the family for quite a few years, and we still managed to visit now and then. We thought it only right to drive by and recall stories of our times up there. Good stuff! 

Once we got to the dunes, we chose to take the scenic drive along the shore. Let me tell you, there is nothing more gorgeous than the views from some of the lookout spots. Every time I visit, they manage to take my breath away.

Megan and I taking in the scenery...

Along the scenic drive, there is a bluff about 450 feet above Lake Michigan that is very steep. Many tourists enjoy running down to the lake, but then have the tedious task of climbing back up. Depending on how great of shape you are in, it can take anywhere from 20 minutes to multiple hours. I did it once years back (literally the day before I found out I was pregnant with Andrew) and it took me 2 1/2 to get back up. It was worth it to do it that one time, but it's definitely something I would never do again... ever. However, my friends thought it would be great, so down they went.

View from the top...

 

When everyone finally made their way back to the top, they were exhausted and ready to call it a day and head home. Although it was spur of the moment, and there was a lot of sleep deprevation, I had a blast and can't wait until the next trip with these great people!