Suzanne McGrath Photography

Six on Sunday

Howdy!  I hope you all enjoyed a great summer weekend.  We sure did.  So let's get to it, shall we?

1.  We DVR'd Pitch Perfect a couple weeks ago.  I am not ashamed to admit I watch it every chance I get.  I love the singing.  And the one-liners are AWESOME!  Every time the kids ask if they can watch it I am secretly jumping up and down, giddy with excitement.  And now I can't get certain songs out of my head...Turn the beat around.  Can you hear percussion?...If you haven't seen it, you definitely should.  And yes, I let my littles watch it even though that shows questionable parental judgement.  But whatever...it's so GOOD!

2.  Friday was the last day of school for all four kiddos.  So, going forward we will have two in middle school:  6th and 8th, and two in grade school:  Kindergarten and second.  I am so excited to only have to go to two schools next year.  It's going to be awesome.

Here is #1.  She is by herself because the others kids were still sleeping when she left for school.

 

Here are the middles:

(Don't you love the tennis shoes with the dress?!)

 

And here are the littles.  This was our family's last day at All Around Child (for #4).  We've been going to that preschool/daycare since August 2005.  I think we paid for an entire wing of that building!

They all had great last days of school and I was so happy for them.

I bought a platter of subs, chips, and pop for #1 and her friends.  They chowed down and then headed to the pool.  The middles and I headed to her friends' pool and hung out with the kids and moms for a few hours.  And then #4 had an ice cream sundae at her school in the late afternoon.  Of course the middles and I hit that party, along with the hubby.  All in all it was a fabulous afternoon of hanging out with friends and celebrations!

3.  Yesterday the hubs and I started and finished building a console table.  In one afternoon.  It was really fun to work on it with him and we worked pretty fast together.  #4 even got in on the action and sanded the ends of the wood.  And I'm not lying, she was really good at it!

I thought she'd do a couple pieces and then get bored. But nope.  She sanded at least 12 pieces - both ends.  I'm starting her early!

Here is the table after the hubby gave it a good sanding in the garage.  I plan on staining and polying it this week.

We are thrilled with how it turned out.  It fits perfectly behind Karl.  I couldn't bear to give up my MCM dresser so we moved it downstairs.  It looks good under the windows in the basement.  I'll have to take a picture and show you later.

4.  Guess what I saved up enough money to buy?  My Roomba!!!!  An unscientific poll led to one negative review and three to four glorious reviews.  I am so hoping it is as glorious as I have imagined in my head.  We plugged it in tonight and I swear we all watched it work it's magic for at least 10 minutes - even the cat!   I really think it is going to lower my grumpiness quotient by at least 68.5% on any given evening.  

5.  While the hubby and I were working on the console table, the littles were asking us how much longer 'till the pool - approximately every 3.2 minutes.  Then it did this and we got a short reprieve.

Luckily it rained for about 10 minutes and therefore they forgot all about the pool.  

But once it cleared up we headed down there for a couple hours yesterday.  The girls had a blast and frankly, so did I!

6.  Last night my niece and nephew had a sleepover at our house.  Of course the kids all wanted to swim together (even though we had spent a couple hours down there earlier in the day.)  So of course we obliged them and headed down about 7:30pm last night.

Two are mine, two are my sisters, and one is a neighbor girl.  They had so much fun together!  (And yes, a few little squabbles, too.  They definitely aren't perfect.)

Meanwhile, #1 had ditched us for a better pool with a high dive and #2 was at Oceans of Fun and then Worlds of Fun with her two girlfriends:

#2 had so much fun she talked about it - nonstop - for about 30 minutes this morning.  They were there for nearly 12 hours yesterday!  It was so cute to hear her get so animated about it.  I loved it.  

And there you have it.  I hope you are all enjoying your summer because I know how fast it goes.  I would like to make it go by in slow motion but I don't think that will happen.  Have a terrific week!

 

Thrifty Thursday...an Advent Calendar

Well, I have to admit, I almost didn't make it tonight.  I didn't think I had anything to blog about and then it hit me.  My advent calendar!

I have showed this here on the blog before - a looooong time ago!  I think I made this about four years ago.  Actually, I know it was four years ago because I was pregnant with #4 at the time.  I must preface these instructions by saying this wasn't my idea.  Ali Edwards featured it on her blog long ago.

Check it out.  (Excuse the late night photos with flash.  Gotta love winter time!)

This is the first year I've hung these by the front door.  And I have to say I like the mix-up.  

All I did was scrounge up 24 boxes - all different sizes.  Some of these I had laying around the house and others I purchased at Michaels.  I also bought three different colors of that $0.99 paint at Michaels.  (Is it acrylic?)  The girls and I painted all 24 boxes and made sure to use the three colors fairly evenly.  And I will admit to going back and re-painting most of what they had done.  Remember, they were only 5 and 7 back when we did this.  I can be a bit perfectionistic at times.  Oh well, sue me.

Anyway, when they were dry I used a few different set of scrapbooking stickers to come up with the numbers.  That was it!  Truly - this was so easy.  I know there are adorable advent calendars out there today but they can be pricey.  This was so fun and I like knowing I won't find it anyone else's house!

Here's a close-up:

 

You might be wondering what I use to hang these up.  I use those removable double-sided sticky squares.  They're great and they don't ruin your walls.  (I put the spoon in there for a frame of reference as to the size.  They're truly the perfect size.)

 

Tonight I included a bit of a treasure hunt.  There were five clues and at the end of the clues there was a bag of chocolate truffles.  It was a hit!

 

That's it!  Easy peasy.  And to give you some idea of what I do each year, here are my "activities" for this year.  (I'm sure I'll end up making some changes, but it's a great start!)

Dec. 1:  Treasure hunt for chocolate

Dec. 2:  Draw names for sibling gifts

Dec. 3:  Attend the luminary walk at the OP Arboretum

Dec. 4:  Pick out cans of food to take to church to donate to those in need

Dec. 5:  Shop for Angel Tree gifts

Dec. 6:  Attend #1's orchestra concert and come home and make popcorn

Dec. 7:  Gather coats and drop off at a Salvation Army for Project Warmth

Dec. 8:  Family game night:  Twister

Dec. 9:  Give each other manicures and pedicures

Dec. 10:  Sleepover with cousins!

Dec. 11:  Attend #2's piano recital and go out for dinner afterward (we RARELY go out to dinner!)

Dec. 12:  Make Christmas cards for teachers

Dec. 13:  Movie Night:  Pick a Christmas movie!

Dec. 14:  Deliver cookies to our neighbors (Dorothy - pretend you didn't read this!)

Dec. 15:  Make a list of 10 things for which we are thankful

Dec. 16:  Attend AAC's (#3 and #4's daycare) Holiday program and go out to Orange Leaf afterwards.

Dec. 17:  Get hot chocolate at Starbucks

Dec. 18:  Attend #1's synchro program and eat LOTS of cookies afterwards.

Dec. 19:  Make brownies for dessert tonight

Dec. 20:  Sit in front of the fire and read about baby Jesus's birth

Dec. 21:  Drive around and look at Christmas lights - come home and make hot chocolate

Dec. 22:  Family game night:  Sorry

Dec. 23:  Eat breakfast for dinner in our PJs by candlelight

Dec. 24:  Attend church and come home to enjoy a yummy dinner.  Open Christmas Eve gifts (PJs).

 

Ten on Tuesday...the First Communion edition

OK, folks.  Sorry this is late but I promise I'll make it up to you!  This will be a long one.  Hop on and enjoy the ride.  As always, this is stream-of-consciousness...planning it out would be too much work.

1.  Are you wondering why I skipped Six on Sunday?  It's because we had a house full of people and by the time it cleared out, I was exhausted.  #2 had her first communion and we had family and friends over afterward to celebrate.  She was so nervous.  The lady who is in charge gets really into it and it made #2 afraid she'd get in trouble if she messed up - you know, like she forgot to bow at the alter.  I'm happy to report it all went off without a hitch.  And for once I was able to listen to the homily (the other kids sat with the grandparents) and it was really nice.

After church we headed back to our house for some great food and even better company.  All the kids had a blast.  One of the cutest things I overheard was my niece (my sister's daughter) calling my father-in-law "grandpa" and calling my brother-in-law "Uncle Sean".  It didn't matter that they weren't actually related to her - it's what her cousins call their grandparents, so she did too!

We tried to snap some pictures - but you know how it is...CHAOS!  And let me tell you - it was COLD, too.  It certainly wasn't ideal, but we made the best of the situation.

 

The whole fam...

With Gamma and Papa (my parents):

With Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Sean.  (#3 calls them Grandpa and Grandpa - I don't correct her because it's too cute!)

All six cousins:

2.  If I'm being truthful, there's a second reason I failed to produce Six on Sunday.  It's due to sequins.  Hundreds and hundreds of sequins.  You see, #1 has a synchronized swim meet in Colorado Springs this weekend.  (Vicki, Tiffany, wanna meet up?  Hang out with me at the pool?  Pretty please!)  That means I have to sew sequins on her suit.  And it takes me HOURS upon HOURS.  Therefore, I started the journey Sunday night.  It sucks, not gonna lie.  Here is the front - almost done.

3.  Want to see some of my craigslist finds as of late?  I've talked about them but I don't think I've shown them off.

First up, the desk that I painted for #3.  I have to admit that I'm not in love with this one.  I'm not sure why.  But I doubt I'll change it since no one really sees it.

Before:

After:

And here is my mid-century dresser.  Originally it was going to go in the dining room as a buffet. However, we moved it behind the couch as a beverage station for the first communion party and we really like it in that location.  I think we'll leave it here and look for something else for the dining room. I'm perfectly happy with that arrangement because it gives me another excuse to peruse craigslist:)  

I haven't completed it yet, so you're seeing it only halfway done.  I painted the top white (because it's formica so I can't stain it) and I'll refinish the body in the same color we did the kitchen table.  I am in love with the cleans lines.  This piece is so me!

4.  We were busy last week!  I have had my new foyer ceiling fixture since spring break.  (Ikea PS Maskros light, in case you were wondering.  Simply divine.)  Well, we finally tried to hang it up a few weeks ago only to discover the cord wasn't long enough.  After a trek down to Dave Smith the Lampmaker, it was ready to go.  

The hubby drove down to Home Depot and rented a 15 foot ladder and we hung it up last Wed. night.  It looks great!

Here is the before.  UGLY.  And yes.  That's dust in case you were wondering.  I hated it so much I pretended it wasn't there.

And Ta-Da...

It makes me smile every time I see it.  (Now we just have to redo the stairs.)

5.  I rented a lense today for the wedding I'm shooting over Memorial weekend.  I tried borrowlenses.com.  I hemmed and hawed trying to decide what to rent.  In the end, I went with the 70-200mm 2.8L.  First, it's an L lense.  Enough said.  Second, it really fills in my biggest hole.  I LOVE my 50mm 1.4 lense and will shoot most of the portraits with that lense.  I also have my dad's wide angle 12-22mm lense for those wide, scenic shots.  But I didn't have a solid telephoto lense.  I'm certain I'll come out of the wedding with some serious biceps after using this baby - it's HEAVY.

6.  Not everything in our world is sunshine and roses.  You know that saying about how bad things come in threes?  Well, it's true.  1) Last Wed the hubby got a speeding ticket while renting the ladder.  (Yes, I know.  Why would you speed with a 15 foot ladder on top of your vehicle?  Duh.)  2) And then that very same night I was painting the details on the dresser drawers I'm re-finishing for my niece.  Like an absolute dummy, I decided to do it in our family room while watching Sarah's House on the DVR.  (Love that show!)  As my bad luck would have it, a bug crawled out of the drawer, I reached for a kleenex to smush it, and my paint can tipped over...on the ONLY decent carpet we have in the ENTIRE house.  Yep, two days and a thousand dollars later, I had new carpet.  3) My sister decided to back out of our cul-de-sac to avoid the kid playing in the middle of the street.  My sister promptly ran smack dab into the fire hydrant and tore off her bumper.  I think we're done with bad luck for awhile.  OK?  OK.  

7.  Thank goodness #4 is really starting to talk these days.  The bad part is she isn't very clear in her annunciation.  I hope that improves - SOON.  The good part is she is learning a lot of new words.  Her word this weekend was "pool".  You see, we took the kids swimming at the grandparent's hotel on Saturday night.  At first, she didn't want to get in the pool.  Then, an hour later, it was hard to get her out of the pool.  She said pool about a thousand times that night and she woke up saying it the next morning!  She loves the pool.  I'm pretty sure we'll have a fourth fishy this summer.

8.  I took a cue from Young House Love and put together a gallery wall.  I had been planning on doing this for awhile, but I was going to use black frames.  Well, I liked their wall so much, I decided to go with white.

I followed their lead and used magazines taped to the wall to help me get my placement right.  I wish I would have thought of this years ago.  Genius.  Then I just started hammering away.  It was actually pretty darn easy!  I will admit I didn't use the templates to lay out the whole wall.  I just laid out the middle section.  I should have demonstrated restraint and put up the whole wall before I ever lifted my hammer, but I was too excited.  However, when it was all said and done, I thought it was a little lopsided.  That meant a little rework.  Darn.  

Notice the frames aren't all filled in yet, but the hardest part is done.  I'm really looking forward to filling the frames with the kids artwork (some is already displayed), snapshots, memorabilia, and handprints of the girls.  I see it changing routinely throughout the year.

Before:

During (just keepin' it real):

After:  (Actually, after I shot this photo I hung up four more frames.  But you get the idea.)

 

9.  I also put together an upholstered headboard for #4's room.  When it's all done, she'll have two of these headboards.  However, her crib is still up so only half the room is done.  Still, it's pretty cute, don't you think?

Here is the before.  I just think it's missing something.

And the after:

10.  Last one.  WooHoo.  I made it.  Here's a knee update for you.  I ended up canceling the MRI because it would use up the remainder of my health reimbursement account and there are still 8 months left in the year!  I am hoping the doc will give me a cortisone shot without the MRI.  Cross your fingers for me because I am DYING to go running again.  Like, seriously.  Dying. 

Have a great week, everyone!

 

Six on Sunday...Valentine's Day Edition

1.  We had a great weekend!  It all started off on Friday afternoon.  We took a mini-staycation at Coco Key in Independence, MO with my side of the family.  (We've gone to Great Wolf Lodge for years previous to this one.  However, our experiences there last year were NOT GOOD.  Hence, we tried something new.)  We were slightly skeptical but thought we had nothing to lose so we gave it a shot.  I'm so glad we did.  Most of us enjoyed it MORE than GWL!

All six kids loved swimming - and I think all six adults did, too.  The set up was great - even better than GWL.  The bar/restaurant area was really nice.  And I thought the pool set up made great use of the space.  I tried all three waterslides and the one in the middle was my favorite - fast and dark.  The older two girls loved the big slides and big pool, #3 loved the slides in the middle section, and #4 just liked running around and checking things out.  Plus, she opened and closed one of the gates no less than 56 times.

The older three girls stayed with my parents and my sister and her family for the night.  The hubby and I decided #4 sleeps best in her own bed, so we headed home for the evening.  (We're not taking her out of her element until she's in a real bed - we value our sleep too much to risk it anymore!)  The hubby headed back out to Independence in the morning so he could help with the kids.  All in all, everyone had a great time!  We'll definitely do it again next year.

Here's the group, getting ready to head to the pool on Friday.  I'm so sad #4 and my nephew are slightly blurry.  I had my aperture cranked up and they just couldn't sit still.  Oh well.  Memory captured?  Check.

2.  We took advantage of built-in babysitters again this weekend!  The hubby and I headed out for a 10 mile run this morning.  It was such a beautiful morning but the trails were slightly treacherous in some areas - lots of ice.  We still had a really nice time and I am convinced he will leave me in the dust during the half marathon.  Oh well.  At least he is starting to understand how great it is to start the day with a long run!

We came back (via Starbucks drive-through, of course) to a hot breakfast, courtesy of my dad.  His breakfasts are my favorite - better than any restaurant in town.  My sister and her family were over, too.  It was a perfect start to the day!

3.  Valentine cards.  What can I say?  I'm a procrastinator.  I waited until last night to think about them.  So I took pictures of #2 and #3 right before they headed to bed.  Mind you, it was in my kitchen, the light was terrible, and they hadn't bathed since the water park.  Oh well.  I've long ago given up any idea of perfection.  I got the shots and they worked.  #1 did not want any part in having her picture show up on her valentine's cards, so she made her own tonight.  And I used a shot of #4 that I took at the hotel.  All in all, I'm just glad we finished!

These are now signed by the girls and they have a sucker sticking out of them.  I did not think up this awesome idea.  I found it here.

On that same website, I found the template for #4's card.  I actually printed these as 4x3 so I could fit two on a 4x6 print.  Genius.

4.  This next week is big for 4 Inspirations Photography.  I donated two sessions and the disc of high res images to two different causes.  I am nervous.  What if no one buys them?  Or what if they only pay $5?  Yikes.  I don't even want to think about it!  I really, really hope they manage to bring in some revenue.  Both of the causes are good ones.  Cross your fingers!

5.  #4 is talking now.  Not much, mind you.  But she is making a little bit of progress.  She says:  mommy, daddy, doggy (sounds a lot like daddy), more, MINE (always yelling that one!), no.  I think I caught her saying "coat" tonight.  The best?  When we ask her something and she answers in the affirmative, she doesn't say yes.  She doesn't just nod her head, she does several little mini bows where it's almost as if she bends at waist.  It's so cute - I don't want it to ever stop!  

6.  I am so excited for the gorgeous weather.  Get out there and enjoy it because I am sure it won't last.  At least not yet.  

Have a great week!

Six on Sunday

1.  This will be the last installment of "Six on Sunday" in 2010.  Due to Christmas celebrations between Christmas and New Year's Eve, we will be busy!

2.  Yesterday was HARD.  #4 has a nasty cold.  It was so bad last Wednesday that she had to stay home from school.  She felt much better on Thursday and even Friday.  However, yesterday was a different story, indeed.  She just felt crappy all day which meant I felt crappy all day!  She wanted nothing to do with any other members of the family except me.  And with me, she didn't know if she wanted up or down, food or no food...you get the idea.  Thankfully, she started to come around just before bedtime.

3.  Last night we were able to spend some time with my sister and her family.  They joined us at 5pm mass which was nice.  #3 thought it was the coolest thing EVER.  She loved having her cousins to sit play next to during church.  I love watching the six kids together.  I love knowing they will grow up together and be as close as siblings.  

4.  While yesterday was HARD, today was GREAT!  #4 felt like a new person.  #1 had her Christmas program for synchro.  Since #4 had to nap and #2 had a playdate, #3 and I attended her program.  And the best part?  My sister and her whole family watched the program, too!  That really made #1 feel special.  And her solo looked amazing!  

Then tonight we had a get-together down the street.  All three of the older girls played with the other kids.  #4 wasn't really into that scene, but managed to do just fine.  The best part of the night?  The horse-drawn hay ride through our neighborhood to look at lights!  It was a beautiful, balmy (40-degrees) night and all four girls really enjoyed it.  

All in all, today was a great day.  It wasn't too rushed but we had a couple special things to do.  Now that is my kind of Christmas season!

5.  All the presents are wrapped.  And I even made some adorable gift tags for the presents.  I'm behind on editing, but I'll try to post them later this week.  They are awesome, if I do say so myself!

6.  I'm so excited for this week to just get on with it.  I know it's going to be a fun week with a wonderful ending - Christmas!  

Below is a snapshot I took last night of the six cousins.  This picture is so typical of the kids.  It's basically impossible to get all six of them to look at the camera and that's fine.  This shot showcases their personalities to a "T"!

Enjoy your week.

Six on Sunday...a Thanksgiving Recap

1.  I can't believe Thanksgiving is already over.  It turned out to be a fantastic day!  We started the day with the Thanksgiving Day 5k run.  I can't believe we actually managed to get everyone out there.  It was only 20 degrees outside!  My hubby and I ran the race (and actually managed to turn in a solid time, too) and everyone else walked it.  #1 and her Grandpa Jerry walked the whole 5k.  I was so proud of her!  Everyone else cut it short since it was so cold outside.  The kids did great, except for #4 who had HAD it by the time we caught up with her.  I can't say I blame her - it was darn cold out that morning.  We learned a lot and I figure the next time we do the race, the kids will be older and so much easier.  In fact, we are planning on running it with #1 and #2 next year!  Yippee.  

After the race, we headed across the street - Starbucks, baby!  I am sure that was the high point for the kids:)  We hung out there for quite awhile while we drank our coffees and hot chocolates and just enjoyed warming up from the inside out.

2.  Thanksgiving dinner was great!  I truly think my favorite part of the meal came at the beginning.  When all of us were finally seated around the tables, we said a short prayer.  I loved the sound of everyone's voices - the way we were so loud.  It was a great reminder that we were all together.

This is what the kids table looked like about 15 minutes into it:  Deserted except for #4.  

3.  Our Huskers won on Friday.  And it was a fun win - not one of those nail biters!  My brother-in-law also brought down some delicious ribs so we all indulged for a second day in a row.  We were very industrious, though.  We managed to polish off quite a few leftovers!  

4.  I managed to make a dent in my holiday shopping on Black Friday.  I finished each girls' WEAR present.  READ is also now 50% completed.  I also managed to find most of their Christmas Eve PJs.  I feel so accomplished!

5.  We still have a few leftovers.  I ran out of gravy, though, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do.  I can't eat leftover mashed potatoes and stuffing without gravy.  However, I can definitely eat the cheesecake without gravy!  yum.

6.  Lastly, Thanksgiving always makes me stop a minute and think about everything I have which makes me so very grateful.  I mean, my roof leaks if it rains just the right way.  We desperately need new carpet upstairs.  My first two rooms are empty - forever more referred to as the toybox room.  However, I know life is so much more than that.  Those things will get addressed and therefore, I don't worry about them more than I should.  I have a wonderful family, kids, husband, health - so much to be thankful for right now.  After all, life is not about the destination, it's about enjoying the journey and that's what we are doing.

I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving, too!

Six on Sunday...Busy Weekend Edition

1.  This will be quick.  It was a busy weekend!  But a good kind of busy.  The kind where I can go to bed tonight and feel like my bucket is full.  I like that feeling.  I know I accomplished a lot and enjoyed it.  

2.  My parents came down this weekend.  #1 and #2 go to an elementary school that goes ALL OUT for Veteran's Day.  We've never participated and I'm not sure why?  This year, the girls were able to host my dad!  (My dad served in Vietnam back during the Tet Offensive before I was even a twinkle in his eye!)  It was awesome!

Parents at the school donate a wonderful, hot breakfast!  (I got roped into my homemade cinnamon rolls - yum)  The breakfast was at 8am.  There was an all-school program at 9am.  It was so neat.  The students who hosted a veteran were able to walk in with their veteran and sit at a place of honor during the assembly.  After the assembly, there was a group photo.  All in all, 57 veterans were there that day - seven from WWII!  It was just wonderful to realize that our school is really helping students understand what Veteran's Day means to them, personally.  After the photo, some of the veteran's - my dad, included - went to the kids' classroom for a Q&A session.  

Here is a picture of #1 and #2 with their Papa:

3.  My parents were lucky enough to be able to time their visit to coincide with #3's fourth birthday party.  Since there are quite a few November birthdays in #3's class, we had a combined party with one of her besties, Taylor.  We held the party at Jumpin' Jax.  I think the kids had a blast and it was really fun to watch them run around like crazy.  The other great part about Jumpin' Jax is that all four of my girls enjoyed it!  And that is so hard to come by given their age difference is eight years!

4.  I have two sessions ready to go.  I just need to get the galleries loaded.  So you will DEFINITELY see them this week!

5.  I shot a session down at the West Bottom's tonight.  It was decent weather, but a little chilly.  I could have kept going but the kids were done.  I don't blame them - their little hands were COLD!  They were so much fun, though.  And thankfully for me, they were really quick with their genuine smiles!  That's great because sometimes it's really hard to coax the REAL smiles out:)

6.  Lastly, (random, stream of consciousness - just how I roll) I now have 16 people (including myself) that will be here for Thanksgiving dinner!  We'll have nine adults and six kids.  I am really looking forward to it.  I love to cook Thanksgiving dinner.  Seriously.  Love it.

OK.  That's all, folks.  It's my bedtime.  Come back here because it should be a busy week on the blog!  Have a good one.

Ten on Tuesday...Special Edition

**WARNING** This post is loooooooonnnnggg.

Since I didn't post my Six on Sunday, I thought I ought to come up with TEN on Tuesday!  Here goes, random, stream-of-consciousness style...

1.  Many of you know I come from a big, Catholic family.  But for those of you who don't know?  I come from a big, Catholic family!  (My mom's side)  My mom is #8 out of 13.  Therefore, there are over 30 of us cousins and we have about 50 kids between all of us cousins.  And some of my cousin's kids (first cousin once removed, I think) even have kids.  Yep - we're a big family!  And every year we have a family reunion.  Last weekend was the reunion.  It was a blast!

2.  Responsibility for the reunion rotates every year.  This year it was my mom's turn.  She found a camp on Lake Herman near Madison, SD for the location this year.  It was awesome!  There were cabins that slept quite a few, a campground, a lodge, a swim beach, and playground equipment.  And everything was very close together so it was easy to watch the kids throwing rocks into the lake while hanging out with the little ones on the playground.  Perfect!

Here is a view of the cabins.

 

And check this out.  Do you know what this is?

It's a storm shelter.  Crazy, huh?  I'm just glad we didn't have to try it out. 

There was a cute little gazebo on the tip of the campground.  A bunch of us ventured out there to watch the sunset one night.  Here is my dad with #3.

I am a little disappointed with myself.  I don't have any pictures of my mom!  I think she was running around a lot trying to keep track of everything so she didn't slow down enough to let me document her properly.  Note to self...keep a mental checklist of "must have" pictures next time. 

3.  A few random snaps...

Below are three of my aunts:  Marge, Mary, and Barb.  

 

My cousin, Jan (well, technically, she's married to my cousin.  details, details) and my aunt, Debb.

 

This little guy is one of Debb's grand babies.  I forget which one - they're twins!!

4.  The good thing about reunions?  There is always someone there to hold a baby for a second!  This is my aunt Elaine - she's the oldest of all my mom's siblings.  That means she has great-grandkids.  Which means she has lots and lots and lots of practice holding babies.  I love it.  

5.  I didn't have a lot of time for pictures, so I wasn't able to capture everybody - there were just too many people.  Here are a bunch of them at once.  There was a bonfire both Friday and Saturday nights.  I missed Friday night's festivities (more later) but was able to thoroughly enjoy Saturday night.  I managed to stay awake just shootin' the breeze with my cousins until 1:00am.  Not bad for this old lady:)

    

6.  Here are a few of my cousin's kids.

Gracie 

Taylor (technically my cousins' kid's kid - got that?)

Addison (Gracie's sister)

  

Together:

 

Anna

7.  My family got there on Friday afternoon.  The kids took full advantage of the empty beach and jumped right in - even #4!

Here is #3.  She travels with her floaties and goggles.  With these pieces of equipment, she can brave any body of water!

8.  Remember how I said I missed the festivities on Friday night?  Well, we thought our cabin only had one bedroom.  And remember how well that went over on our vacation during the 4th?  Yeah - it didn't.  Well, as it turns out, our cabin had two bedrooms which meant #4 could have her own room!  However, I left all my stuff (and the pack-n-play) at my parent's house in Sioux Falls so #4 and I had to go back on Friday night.  

That meant I had to do my 5 mile run with #4 and a jog stroller on Sat. morning.  While I don't love pushing the jogger, it was such a beautiful morning that I truly didn't mind - aside from having to sing OUT LOUD to entertain #4.  I just hope everyone who ran by me had earphones or else they likely got a good dose of Black Eyes Peas or Kelly Clarkson!  Thank goodness she fell asleep about 20 from the end.  I think she decided to practice baby yoga in the stroller.  Check her out.  (Thanks for the stroller, Rachel!)

 

9.  The highlight of the trip?  My cousin and her husband got their hands on an awesome pontoon boat!  While the weather wasn't perfect on Saturday, it didn't stop any of the kids from having an absolute blast.  This pontoon was a double-decker with a slide.  Does it get any better than that?!

(Photographer's note:  I had my camera set to burst mode but I didn't have all my focal points activated.  Darn it.  That would have helped ensure there were more pictures in focus.  And it was so bright out that it was hard to tell what was what on my LCD screen.  Oops.)

#3 was totally ready.  However, she wasn't too keen on the experience.  She only went once.

 

Below is my cousin Jenni's little girl, Anna.  I don't remember if Anna ventured down the slide or not?

This shot was one of the winners.  I love that you can see the beads of water flying off her life jacket.

 

This next one is Anna's older sister, Ellie.  I didn't get a decent shot of Cole, their brother.  Darn. 

 

I love this shot of my niece, Sydney, because she's holding her nose.

This next one was a series of pictures that I stitched together in Photoshop.  This little boy, Aidan, belongs to the cousin who brought out the boat.  Aidan turned two on Aug. 1st.  He has NO FEAR!  Vicki - you better watch out:)

 

Lastly, this is the biggest kid of them all.  My dad, Papa, got in the water under the guise that he would "help" the kids.  But I think he went down the slide as many times as the kids!!

      

10.  And in closing, I shot a couple sunset pictures.  So here is one. Pretty, huh?

 

I can't wait for the next reunion.

  

  

Six on Monday; June Edition

1.  I didn't post last night because the three oldest girls and I went to see Little House on the Prairie the Musical.  Originally, I was only going to take #1 and #2.  However, as I was getting ready and giving #3 a bath, I explained to her that I wasn't going to be home to take her to bed.  I told her I was going to a musical with her older sisters.  She looked right at me and said, "Well then, I'm going to cry."  And she did.  I even told her she could go get ice cream with her dad!  He tried to make her feel better.  We both explained it wasn't a movie, it would be long and boring, and she wouldn't have fun.  She didn't care.  She wanted to come with us!  So, I caved.  Like totally caved.  I went and bought a ticket 15 minutes before we left!

All in all, it was a great night.  #1 has ready every single book ever written by Laura Ingalls Wilder; even the journals she wrote on her trips across the plains.  #1 loved the story and how they melded the books together.  #2 loved that she got to wear her new hat and get a funnel cake.  And #3 loved that she got to dance in her seat (just a little) and eat a pretzel and popcorn.

I loved spending time with my girls, enjoying an outdoor musical, and being able to treat them to some snack foods!

2.  My nephew turned 3 today:)  We enjoyed his birthday party Sat. evening at the pool.  It was really nice to hang out, eat subs and watermelon, and just watch the kids play.

3.  #2 had two softball games this weekend.  I'm trying to come up with something nice to say, but MAN, those games are LONG!!  

4.  I've been doing laundry like crazy to get ready to go on vacation.  As in, I think I did over 10 loads this past weekend.  And I still have a couple more loads to go.  

5.  We are going to Ft. Robinson, NE.  (I think I've mentioned it before.)  We are leaving Wed. and driving to Kearney, NE to spend the night.  Of course, we're driving through Lincoln so we can eat at our favorite pizza place from college - Yia Yia's!!  Then we'll finish the rest of our expedition Thurs.  It is ELEVEN HOURS!  So, if you have any hints for one year olds - let me know!  The oldest three will be fine, but my baby - not so much.  She's still too young for movies, so I'm not sure what we'll do.  Probably listen to some crying.  From her AND me!  

6.  I had a newborn session on Sat. afternoon.  She was an absolute angel!  Here is one sneak peek.  I hope to be able to post a few more before we leave on Wed, but I'm not making any promises:) 

 

Six on Sunday ON Sunday

I'm back.  WooHoo!  It's Sunday AND I'm blogging.  I feel such a sense of accomplishment right now.  (Patting my own back - I admit it.)

First of all, Happy Father's Day to all those dads out there!  I hope you had a great day.  We were very laid back.  My hubby cleaned windows.  I have no idea what got into him, but he did a bang-up job.  I can actually see out the little can window in the basement.  I was convinced we had to replace it.  Guess it was just dirty.  Who knew?

Anyway, I am going to dedicate this Sunday's post to my SEVEN year old #2 daughter.  Her birthday was this past Tuesday.  Here she is blowing out the candles on our family cake (#4 was in bed already).

My dearest Lizzie,

In honor of my Six on Sunday series, along with the fact that you are turning seven, I am going to list seven, random things about you right now:

1.  You are drama.  Plain and simple and from as far back as I can remember.  Drama.  

2.  You wear your heart on your sleeve.  You can be fuming mad at me one minute and running up to me with a hug the next minute.  But at least you get over things very quickly.

3.  You are a wonderful sister.  You and your older sister have been dear friends since you turned three.  That summer you were inseparable!  And you are a fantastic big sister to the two "little girls".  Just today you traded your ice cream cone because #3 wanted yours.  

4.  You are very sweet and caring and loving.  You adore your new pet, Easaw - the chinchilla.  And you stick up for Chloe (our Bichon) when we yell at her.

5.  You are smart and have a great sense of humor.  And your humor is very understated.  For example, at school this spring, you politely raised your hand, waited patiently to be called on, and then cracked your joke - all without missing a beat.

6.  You love soccer, aren't sure about softball yet, and think swimming is too hard.  

7.  You are a picky eater.  Plain and simple.  Your three favorite meals include cheese quesadillas and nachos, spaghetti (no meatballs), and cheese pizza.  No wonder you're so skinny.  It's all I can do to fill you up!

And there you have it, my dear girl.  Seven random facts for my new seven year old.  My love for you is indescribable.  You fill that perfect place in my heart for a second daughter and I cannot imagine my life without you.  My wish for you is that the next seven years are as awesome as these first seven.  I love you, Lizzie Coco:)