Little Ninja

Today Riley had her first Tae Kwan Do class today, Little Ninjas. She was very excited for the class and did a great job for just her first time! Today's class was just her and another girl, so a great start to feeling comfortable. We are not sure if the class will be larger than 2....last week when we went to watch there was a boy so maybe it will end up the 3 of them. At the end of the class, she even got her first "stripe" on her belt for doing such a great job. We will see how the next 2 months go for her, and then go from there. As for now, keep up the good work Riley!!

Swim Lessons

This morning Riley had her last swim lesson of the summer and we are proud to share that she passed! She seemed a lot more enthusiastic and willing to do what her teachers asked her to do this year. We think that she can do a fairly decent job without her water wings, but she still needs to build a little more confidence in her abilities. (She thinks that because she is better at underwater swimming and not the strokes that she is not good...) We are so proud of her big accomplishment!!! As a treat at the end of this last class, they took them to the waterslide.

Next up....tae kwan do! She starts little ninjas on Monday!!!

Pool Fun

A HUGE thanks to Shannon and Mike for having us over to swim today. They were also gracious enough to let Kelsey and Nick come along as well (and give Kris some peace hopefully to pack)! The kids had a blast in the pool and all got along so well. It was also a great time for the grown ups. It was just a perfect pool day:) We are so lucky to have such great family to spend the day with!! It is hard to get good pictures when they are moving so darn fast, but I tried my best.

Touch a Truck

Today was the day for Touch a Truck...I think that this might be our 5th year going already, if not 5 then definitely 4:) As in most of the previous years we went with Chrissy, Lucas, and now Layla. This year was a little crazier that previous years however. The big kids had things that they wanted to see...often in opposite directions...so we were both kind of on our own with the kids. Also, each year we try and get a picture of the kids in the "scoop". Payton was not keen on this plan however, so it ended up with only 3/4 of the kids in the "scoop". Riley was very eager to check out the school bus and get all ready to take the bus. Payton followed behind and insisted I get on the stuffy bus too! They also checked out the Oberweis truck (and samples), an ambulance, a SWAT truck, a fancier bus, and a quick look at the farm equipment. It got to be super hot fast (perhaps that pregnancy furnace kicked in today) and once quiet hour ended and the horns began, Riley was ready to go. It still was fun to get out of the house for a bit and check out the big trucks. Next year will be even more exciting to keep all the kids happy. (I felt a little like I was counting ducks when they were both walking around in opposite directions!) Here are just a few pictures I managed to get. (Notice in the slide show the fabulous picture Riley insisted she take of me!! Haha)

Payton's First Movie

The girls spent the night with grammy, papa, Kris, Kelsey, and Nick and I was supposed to meet them for a beach trip today. But the weather had other plans...as I was jolted out of a deep sleep at 6:30 to pouring rain. Needless to say, our plans had to change. The kids decided that they would like to go to a movie instead. At first I figured I would keep Payton at grammy and papa's, but then I changed my mind and figured I would let her try it out. Payton did a fabulous job! She started off in her own chair with some popcorn and an icee. Later, she did end up on my lap where she fell asleep, but when she woke up, she happily watched the end of the movie! Ever since, she keeps talking about the movie and how everyone who went liked it. Then she says "I go movie again!" I think it was a success!!! And in case you were wondering, we saw Madagascar 3.

Happy Birthday Payton!

Hard to believe that this picture was taken 2 years ago!! Happy 2nd birthday to Payton! She fills our family with so much love and silliness. (Her craziest new line..."look at me!" She shouts this at you when she wants your attention!) It will be interesting to see her grow into her role as big sister in a few months too:) We have started off her birthday with cupcakes and presents. She is in love with the Alvin and the Chipmunks movies, so she got the whole collection for her birthday and we are currently enjoying one. Hopefully she has a great day!!

Beach Trip

This morning while at swim lessons, Mike's friend texted him and asked if we wanted to meet at the dunes today. Since we had no other plans and Riley was bummed she could not play in the sand at the pool, we said why not. It was a quick stop home after swimming lessons and then we were on our way. The "garmin" steered us in the wrong direction, but after a scenic route through Indiana we finally made it. The girls had lots of fun at the beach. Riley loved the sand and the water, while Payton was loving the sand but a little unsure of the water. When the skies got dark, we packed up and headed for the truck to clean off as much of the sand as we could and get on the road. While we were getting the girls cleaned off, they lifeguards made an announcement that lightning had been spotted and the beach would be closed for at least one hour. No sooner did we start driving and the skies opened up!! It was raining so hard that it was even hard to see where we were driving. We made it home safely to our sunny house with not a cloud in the sky!!! The girls had so much fun that I think it is safe to say that there will be another beach trip in the near future. Here are just a few pictures that we got.

20 weeks

Today we are officially half way to baby!! We had our appointment today and everything looks good!! My blood pressure is very good and put on more weight this month. Guess I am in that massive weight gain second trimester now. Measuring just a tad bigger than the dates say that we are. Next appointment will be the fun one with the glucose test, but I must be a weirdo because I really do not mind that orange drink:) Here are some pictures from today...

We also had our ultrasound today and technician says....GIRL!! Guess we are just going for that trifecta of girls:) Riley was so excited to get to see her little sister on the screen and for us it is always exciting to see the little human being that is growing in your tummy:) We got to see her sweet little face and the technician was having fun getting her to move and showing Riley. I think we got lots more pictures this time because of Riley's enjoyment! Hopefully I can find a few minutes tomorrow to scan and upload some of them. These first 20 weeks seem to have gone by faster than with Riley and Payton and I am sure that the next 20 will be over before we know it!