Updates

Since I rarely make it to the computer downstairs these days (and since my husband wiped the hard drive clean and installed Linux and now my photos and iTunes, etc. are gone), I thought I'd give this BlogPress app a try. One of the things I didn't like about posting via email is that I could only upload one photo per post. This app should remedy that. I hope. So bear with me in this test - post, please. It's going to be a sort of casserole post, with a little of this and that. :)

First, I'd like to post a few recent photos of the kids. It's amazing to me still how fast they grow and change.



This was taken on Mother's Day, after my kiddos picked a bunch of "Daddy-lions" for me. Aren't they sweet?




Ethan is nine, and will be starting 4th grade in September. His current interests include reading "The 39 Clues" series. He is on book nine now, I believe. He also enjoys Rick Riordan books, riding his bike, playing Wii games, and consuming larger and larger quantities of food. (Hm, growth spurt approaching?)



Kibby is 5 and will start Kindergarten. This photo was taken right after she cut her hair and Ruby's at the end of January. See how proud she looks? Not cool. Mommy was not proud. (Ruby's looked much worse!) As it turns out, though, this is one of my favorite photos of Kibby! It's very rare to get her to look at the camera and look happy at the same time! She finished up preschool in May & June (she attended 2 of them with the program she was in through the school district.) It was bittersweet to attend her little "graduation" ceremonies. She had a really great teacher this year and we're all going to miss her! We don't find out until the end of August which teacher she'll have for this year, and I'm trying not to be anxious about that. :)




Ruby is 3, and still our mischievous little entertainer. I'm seriously considering starting some type of homeschool preschool with her in the Fall during the hours while Kibby is in school, but maybe only 3-4 days a week. I'd like to teach her to read. And keep her curious little mind busy and out of trouble - at least for part of the day!



Ean, still the baby (he is nearly 21 months now), is still Momma's little boy. He loves to snuggle an play and laugh and tease. It's so fun to see his sense of humor develop. He is talking some... He says about 10 words, maybe? Mum-ma, dadda, no, up!, all-gone, go!, okay!, Nana, Bumpa (the kids' word for Grandpa), uh-oh, and ow. That's all that I can think of right now. He isn't putting 2 words together yet, though. He is very loud, very vocal, and likes to point and say, "OH!!" and babble gibberish (in an excited tone) at things. He has about 10 teeth and is learning to sleep through the night better again. (He had a rough spot there for awhile!)

The kids are trying to stay busy this summer. Parks, Bookmobile, the zoo, going to the beach, camping, parades, visits and playdates with friends, time with family... and boxes and boxes of Popsicles!

As crazy as day-to-day life is, I'm really going to miss them in the Fall and am glad for several more weeks of laid-back morning routines before the hectic school days start up again.